Forge the Path
by GreatDario
Summary: When Obi-Wan Kenobi was defeated by Darth Vader, he expected to become a Force ghost. Instead, the Jedi Knight ended up in a strange uncharted planet far away from the Empire's reach...
1. The Turn of Events

"_**Events will take their course, it is no good of being angry at them; he is happiest who wisely turns them to the best account."**_

**FORGE THE PATH**

**Chapter I : The Turn of Events**

_ A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, there was a great war called the Galactic Civil War, fought between the Galactic Empire and the Alliance to Restore the Republic, a rebel faction striving to revive the Galactic Republic. _

_ Princess Leia Organa, a leader of the Rebel Alliance, and the Rebel spies managed to steal the plans of the Empire's super weapon, the Death Star, and started to retreat to Alderaan, the princess's home planet, aboard a starship. Although she was captured during the run, Princess Leia was able to store the vital information inside a droid R2-D2's databank._

_ Droids R2-D2 and C-3PO managed to escape from the starship to a nearby planet called Tatooine using an escape pod. On the planet, the droids were bought by farmer Owen Lars and his nephew, Luke Skywalker._

_ R2-D2 escaped, claiming to be a property of "Obi-Wan Kenobi," causing Luke and C-3PO to search for it the next day. They found it, but were attacked by Tusken Raiders, primitives of Tatooine. The unfortunate group was eventually rescued by a mysterious old man who called himself "Ben Kenobi."_

_ Kenobi took the group to his home, where he revealed his true name to be "Obi-Wan Kenobi" and recalled his old friendship with Luke's father. Obi-Wan also gave Luke his father's lightsaber and revealed that Luke's father was betrayed and murdered by Obi-Wan's old apprentice, Darth Vader._

_ The group later discovered Princess Leia's message in R2-D2. Obi-Wan tried to persuade Luke to accompany him to Alderaan. Luke refused to go until he found that his aunt and uncles were murdered by Imperial soldiers that were searching for R2-D2 and C-3PO. Obi-Wan, Luke, and the two droids started to search for a way to travel to Alderaan._

_ Smuggler Han Solo and his hairy partner, a Wookiee named Chewbacca, agreed to take the group to Alderaan aboard their starship, the _Millennium Falcon_, for a high price. When the group reached its destination, the crew found nothing but asteroids. They immediately learned that the planet was destroyed by the Death Star. Unfortunately, the _Millennium Falcon_ was pulled aboard the Death Star by its powerful tractor beam. In search of a way to escape, Luke, Han, and Chewbacca searched for the way to escape while Obi-Wan separated from the group to disable the tractor beam..._

* * *

><p>Successfully disabling the tractor beam, Obi-Wan started to head back to the docking bay where the <em>Millennium Falcon <em>was. But as the old man headed back, he saw a tall figure equipped with black armor from head to toe, Darth Vader, across the hallway facing him with his red lightsaber ignited.

As Darth Vader walked toward Obi-Wan, the old Jedi Knight ignited his own blue lightsaber.

"I've been waiting for you, Obi-Wan. We meet again at last." said Darth Vader with his robotic voice. "The circle is now complete. When I left you, I was but a learner. Now _I _am the master."

"Only a master of evil, Darth," said Obi-Wan as he swung his lightsaber at Darth Vader.

The evil knight in black defended the attack with his red lightsaber and defended again when Obi-Wan connected his attack with another swing. The old knight took a step back as he parried Darth Vader's jabs. Obi-Wan immediately defended Darth Vader's lower strike, whirled around, and tried to land heavy strikes on the evil knight. However, Darth Vader successfully parried the attacks. The duel continued with both knights showing no sign of weariness.

"Your powers are weak, old man," mocked Darth Vader.

"You can't win, Darth," said Obi-Wan coolly. "If you strike me down, then I shall become more powerful than you can possibly imagine."

As the fight went on, Darth Vader said, "You should not have come back."

Both men became more aggressive. There were more lightsaber strikes being volleyed. It was impossible to know who was winning and who was losing. The heat of the duel grew.

The lightsaber battle eventually brought Obi-Wan and Darth Vader to the docking bay where the _Millennium Falcon_ was being guarded by a group of Imperial Stormtroopers. The soldiers saw the battle and left their post to rush to the scene of action. This left the _Millennium Falcon_ unguarded. From the other side of the docking bay, Luke's group, who did not know that the lightsaber duel was taking place, and the rescued Princess Leia ran to the starship.

As the rest of the crew went on board of the _Millennium Falcon_, Luke stopped and saw Obi-Wan dueling Darth Vader. The old man was able to see the young Skywalker and made a small smile.

Obi-Wan deliberately let his guard down and slowly closed his eyes. Darth Vader took his chance and struck the old knight with all his might.

Before his dying moment, Obi-Wan was able to hear Luke scream, "NOOOOO!"

Silence and serenity fell upon Obi-Wan.

...

...

...

_Something..._

...

_ Something..._

...

_...Something is not right here_, thought Obi-Wan Kenobi.

The whole place was black, and something was wrong.

_It's dark. Dark and oddly warm_, Obi-Wan continued to think. Then, Obi-Wan opened his eyes.

The sky. The old man saw the sky. It was blue and had white puffy clouds. _Is this what it is like to become one with the Force?_ thought the knight. _This is strangely...normal._

As Obi-Wan lifted himself up, he noticed that the ground was grassy. The old man looked at his body. He was still in his white tunic and white pants with a solid brown robe over them. _I'm still in my normal clothing. All intact._

When the knight decided to check if he still had his possessions, he noticed something incredibly out of place. His hands...They were _young_.

"What the blazes?" Obi-Wan said quietly. However, he quickly realized that his voice sounded different, too. It sounded younger.

The knight touched his face, then his hair. After several minutes of self-inspection, the Jedi came to a conclusion: He became younger.

_This must be the process of becoming one with the Force_, Obi-Wan reminded himself. _Try not to get too excited, Obi-Wan_.

The now-younger man checked his current possession. Within his robe he found his lightsaber on his utility belt and several credit ingots. Obi-Wan thought, _Strange, I'm not suppose to have anything by now_.

The knight carefully observed his surroundings. He was in a hilly grassy terrain. Most importantly, he saw a small town not too far from where he was.

Obi-Wan updated his conclusion: He was probably alive and young again.

_Well_, thought Kenobi,_ this is rather an unexpected turn of events_. The knight pulled his hood up and began to walk to the nearby town.

* * *

><p>By the time Obi-Wan reached the town, the sun started to set.<p>

_Well, this is a rather small town_, thought the knight as he walked into the town. All the buildings (all two, three, or four stories high) looked slightly medieval. The roofs of the buildings were made of blue and green tiles and the walls were made of white bricks. In the center of the town stood a tall, thin mechanical structure. All in all, it was a small, quiet town.

Obi-Wan saw a middle-aged man passing by and decided to ask him which planet he was on. _Perhaps I should ask if the planet is under Imperial control while I'm at it_, thought the knight.

"Excuse me, sir," said the cloaked knight as the middle-aged man passed him by.

"What is it?" asked the man.

"This may be a silly question to ask," continued Obi-Wan. "But, exactly what is the name of this planet?" He expected a burst of laughter, a snicker, or maybe a warm smile if he was lucky. What he actually received from the middle-aged man was a very confused look.

"What...planet?" the confused man droned.

"Uh... I mean, what is the name of this planet?" Obi-Wan asked again.

"What...the...heck are you talking about? This planet is a planet," the man replied with a small frown.

"Oh. I see," said the knight. _So, this is an unnamed planet? Then, I guess the Empire didn't reach this part of the galaxy yet_, he thought. "Well, with that business aside, what is the name of this town?"

The frown on the middle-aged man was replaced with a smile. "Well, you are currently in Kalm, a small and peaceful town. This place is abundantly supplied with 'Mako' which provided by the Shinra Electric Power Company," he said.

_He must have recently memorized that last line. He did not sound that natural_, Obi-Wan thought. But something caught his mind, so he asked, "Can you tell me what this 'Mako' is?"

The middle-aged man commented, "Young man, you must have come from a very remote area to not know what Mako is."

_Well, the 'coming from a very remote area' part is actually true_, thought the cloaked knight.

"Mako is a new form of energy that's developed by the Shinra Electric Power Company. It replaced all other energy sources such as coal and oil," said the man. "It's very popular due to its efficiency, I should add."

"Interesting thing, this 'Mako'," Obi-Wan calmly said. "I would like to ask one more thing. What is this 'Shinra' company?"

The man replied with the smile still on his face, "Well, the Shinra Electric Power Company, or simply Shinra Inc., is the company that is responsible for developing Mako energy. It is a huge company that is actually supplying nearly every towns and villages on this planet with Mako energy! Quite impressive if you ask me. Oh, and you can find the main Shinra HQ in the metropolis, Midgar."

"Midgar?" Obi-Wan asked with a confused frown.

The middle-aged man sighed and went to the entrance of the town. "Come here," he said.

Obi-Wan went to the entrance to see the vast grasslands that reached the horizon. The setting sun colored the land with gold, making the sight spectacular. "What am I suppose to see from here?"

"Over there; south-west from here." The slightly irritated man pointed at the place shrouded by dark clouds. "Midgar is there."

"Well, at least it is distinguishable," Obi-Wan said with a wry smile. "It is the most unsightly view from here."

The middle-aged man sighed and asked, "Well, is that all the questions you have?"

"Actually, I would like to know where I can sleep for tonight," Obi-Wan said.

The man had a serious expression on his face and asked, "There is an inn, but do you even have enough gil?"

_'Gil' must be this planet's currency_, thought the cloaked knight. _And now that I think about it, I don't think they will receive credits_. "Well, umm..."

"...Don't say it," the man said with an 'I-pity-you' expression. "You know what? I'm feeling quite generous right now so just take this, you poor clueless man." The man handed Obi-Wan two green paper bills with a notable '100' on them. "It's two hundred gil. Use it wisely on your journey."

A smile formed on Obi-Wan's face as he said, "Well, I don't know what to say."

"A 'Thank you' would suffice," the man said with a small smile.

"Well then, thank you mister..."

"Wiki. James Wiki."

"Well, thank you Mr. Wiki."

And with that, Obi-Wan went to search for the inn.

_Such a clueless man..._James thought. _Although, I wish I could have seen his face. That hood of his was doing a good job concealing it._

_..._

_..._

_..._

_And I don't know his name, too. Crud._

* * *

><p>After several minutes of walking around the town in search of the inn, Obi-Wan found out that the inn was one of the buildings that were near the entrance. Silently cursing at himself, the cloaked knight went inside the inn.<p>

The inn was rather simple. The floor was completely made of wood. The walls were made of white bricks, just like the outer wall of the inn. Simple pictures were hanged here and there. The only thing that was a little out of place were the strange pipes that were traveling across the edges of the ceiling.

Obi-Wan approached the innkeeper and said politely, "Good evening."

"Good evening," the innkeeper replied.

"I would like to stay for one night."

"One night? That would be twenty gil."

Obi-Wan took out the hundred gil paper bill from within his long brown robes and gave it to the innkeeper. _Good thing I met that generous man, Mr. Wiki_, the knight thought. The innkeeper received it and gave him four green paper bills: one with '50' on it and the rest with '10'.

"The room is just upstairs," said the innkeeper. "Enjoy your stay."

Obi-Wan nodded and headed upstairs. There were three beds and a wall mirror in the room.

The Jedi knight decided to get a closer look at his face. He walked to the wall mirror and pulled his hood down. In the mirror stood a man with auburn hair, a short beard, and smooth pale skin. The man with blue-gray eyes stared back at Obi-Wan. _I definitely look younger. I looked like this when I served as a general during the Clone Wars_, thought the knight. He then neatly folded his robe and placed it on the chair.

Obi-Wan then took out his lightsaber from his utility belt and inspected it. It still looked the same: metallic, a smooth grip, etc. He then tested if the lightsaber still worked. As the knight activated his lightsaber, a long bright blue blade was ignited from the device. Satisfied, he deactivated his lightsaber and hid it under his folded robe.

The knight then went to bed and contemplated on what had happened. As he meditated, he remembered two things. _I still don't know exactly what happened to me, and I cannot sense Luke through the Force_, he thought. After staying awake for a few minutes, the Jedi drifted into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

><p>Obi-Wan Kenobi woke up early the next morning. He went to the bathroom and brushed his teeth and washed his face. When the Jedi was finished, he got his lightsaber, put on his robe, pulled up his hood, and left the inn. As the knight left Kalm, he noticed that Midgar was still cloudy as it was the day before. <em>Well, there is my next stop. Let's see if I can find something useful in that "Midgar" place<em>, he thought.

The cloaked man walked away from Kalm. When he was certain that he was far away enough, Obi-Wan stood still and let the Force rush through him. Then in a blink of eye, he ran so fast that all he was was a blur. In about a minute, Obi-Wan, nearly reaching his destination, stopped dead and began to walk to Midgar. _It wasn't only the sky that looked dead around here_, thought the Jedi as he walked on the gray infertile ground. _Even the ground looks dead_.

Obi-Wan stopped when he reached the closed gate of Midgar. From the gate, he was able to see what Midgar was like. Through the transparent wall, Obi-Wan only saw huge heaps of trash. An endless field of trash. There was also an incredibly huge plate that stood over the endless field of trash. "There must be the city on top of the plate," The Jedi said to himself. "The only way to the city must be through this junkyard."

Allowing the Force to flow through his body, the knight leaped over the tall wall and landed on his feet. Obi-Wan started following the "road" and went deeper into the dark field of junk.

As Obi-Wan continued to walk, he found a particularly clean and colorful building standing out among the rest of the trashy structures. However, it wasn't just the quality of the building that caught the Jedi's attention. He was able to sense something, something he hadn't sensed ever since he ended up in this strange planet.

The Jedi Knight opened the tall doors and went into the building. _Wow_, Obi-Wan thought in awe. The building was moderately tall. The walls were made of clean stone, the floor of clean wood, and the light (despite being quite dark outside) shined through the stained glass, illuminating the whole room. Wooden seats were moderately aligned. In the front of the room, a small patch of flowers was growing. _The person in charge of this building is doing a great job maintaining it_, the knight thought. _Well, I hope the owner doesn't mind if I stay here for a while_.

Obi-Wan slowly walked into the building and sat on one of the frontmost seats. He closed his eyes and began to contemplate his current situation.

_I was slain by Darth Vader, which should have turned me into a Forc__e ghost. Instead, I become younger and end up in an unknown planet that is far from the Empire's reach. To make matters stranger, I still cannot sense Luke Skywalker. What am I suppose to do now? Should I try to go back, or should I accept my destiny and stay here for the time being?_

As Obi-Wan continued to contemplate, he sensed something within the Force. It wasn't powerful. Nevertheless, he could still sense it. Someone was approaching this building. The Jedi Knight remained still, waiting for the mysterious one to come.


	2. In Midgar's Society

"_**It is not a fragrant world."**_

**FORGE THE PATH**

**Chapter II : In Midgar's Society**

The church was infrequently used as a place of rest. Even after the superannuated building was claimed, only a very few actually visited it. However, the few of these few came for reasons other than rest. For example, one fellow fell from nowhere and crashed through the roof. So, it slightly surprised the owner to see a fully cloaked man sitting collectedly.

The owner of the church was a young brunette woman with emerald-green eyes. Her hair was drawn back in a thick plait with a pink ribbon tied around it and her bangs framed the sides of her face. She wore a pink dress that buttoned up with the front with a red jacket. The owner also wore brown boots and metal bracers on her wrists and around the edges of her jacket sleeves.

The woman slowly entered the church, quietly closing the door behind her. As if he did not hear anything, the hooded man showed no sign of movement.

The owner tiptoed to the man, trying to get a closer look at the man's face. Then, she leaned toward him; the hooded man was sitting motionless with his eyes closed. He had a slightly pale face with an auburn beard. The woman continued to stare.

"I believe there is a better way to introduce yourself than simply staring," the hooded man suggested as he opened his eyes, revealing the blue-gray.

The startled woman jumped back in the middle of the man's sentence.

"Oh, I'm sorry if I startled you," the man quickly apologized as he took off his hood.

"No no no! I'm sorry for bothering you like that," the owner frantically apologized back, blushing in embarrassment.

"Well, I hope you didn't mind me staying here."

"Not at all. It's just that it's been a while since anyone other than I visited this church."

"I see. Oh, my name is Obi-Wan Kenobi, by the way," said Obi-Wan as he extended his hand.

"My name is Aerith Gainsborough. Pleased to meet you," said Aerith as she took the offer and shook his hand. "Are you new here? I've never seen you before."

"Actually, yes. I arrived not too long ago. I must say, though, this is a really nice church."

"You think so? Thanks Mr. Kennedy."

"Kenobi," the Jedi knight corrected.

"Kenobi. Yes, Mr. Kenobi," said the young woman. "Speaking of which, where are you from?"

"Where am I from?" asked Obi-Wan.

"Mhm," said Aerith as she nodded.

"Well, uh... I'm from... a... cave. Yes, a cave."

The church owner's facial expression was that of confusion and disbelief. "...A cave?"

The knight took courage and said, "Yes, a cave. I know it is hard to believe it, but I used to live in a cave. It may seem like a hard life, but it is a rather simple and happy one once you get used to it." _Technically, it is true_, he thought. _I did live in a cave back on Tatooine for nearly twenty years_.

Aerith's early expression of confusion was replaced with a smile. "I see," she said. "Well then, why are you here?"

"I came here to look for a job. My cave crashed in." _Now that was a downright lie_.

"...Oh. I'm sorry to hear that, Mr. Kenobo," the woman said with a sad frown.

"It's Kenobi, and don't worry about the cave. I had nothing much to begin with and I'm rather excited about touring this city. I may even find a good job in the process," said Obi-Wan.

"Now that's the spirit," Aerith said as her smile returned once again. "Show us what a caveman can do, Mr. Kenodi!"

For a split moment, the whole building went silent. Then, Obi-Wan started to chuckle. Finally, he burst into laughter.

"What's so funny?" asked the confused woman.

"Ha ha ha! ...It's...heh...Kenobi," said the knight as he continued to laugh merrily.

"Hey, it's because your name is so confusing!" huffed Aerith. "I mean, who in the world would have a name like 'Obwan Kenobi'?"

"Well, at least you finally remembered my last name correctly," Obi-Wan commented happily. "My first name is Obi-Wan. In full, it's Obi-Wan Kenobi."

"Hmph. Alright Mr. Obi-Wan Kenobi," said Aerith (she had to slow down when she was saying the name). "But, let's put YOUR name-remembering skills to a test. What is my name?"

"Oh, that is easy. It is Aeris Gainsborough."

"Heh heh heh," chuckled the church owner. "_VERY_ close, but not quite. It is Aeri**th** Gainsborough, not Aeri**s** Gainsborough."

"Well, at least I didn't forget the ENTIRE name."

"Even so, you did mess up. There should be a penalty for this."

"So, I get a penalty for mispronouncing your name once while you forgot my whole name entirely?"

"Yes. Hmm... Now let's see. What should be your penalty?"

"Well, you might want to stop brainstorming. I'm going to have to leave," said Obi-Wan.

"Huh? Already?"

"Well, I know for sure that I've been staying here for several hours. This would mean that I have to get going and find a place to rest for a night."

Aerith thought to herself for the moment, and then decided something. "Well," she began. "Do you know where you will stay?"

"Umm...no."

"Then you will never make it here. This place is very dangerous, especially for an unarmed man like you."

Before Obi-Wan was able to comment on how Aerith was unarmed herself, she said, "You could come over to my house. It's quite close by."

"That is awfully generous of you, but would you do that for a stranger?" asked Obi-Wan. "We've only known each other for about an hour. What if I am a thief or a murderer fleeing from the scene of action?"

"I know that you are not any of that. Something tells me that you are a very trustworthy person."

"Then, thank you for such an offer," the knight said as he pulled his hood over his head. "Now before this discussion prolongs, I suggest we take leave."

"Oh, my bad. Follow me."

And the two exited the church.

* * *

><p>"So," Obi-Wan began as they navigated through the maze of trash. "People actually live in this junkyard?"<p>

"Unfortunately, yes." Aerith cheerlessly replied as she led the way. "Midgar wasn't able to offer jobs to all the people who flooded into the city, so many who failed decided to live in these slums."

"Hmm... Indeed, it is quite unfortunate," the knight mumbled to himself. "...Anyway, these slums take up a large amount of land! It must be divided into provinces or states or sectors."

"Yup, the slums are divided into eight sectors. The names are Sector 1, Sector 2, Sector 3, and all the way to Sector 8. We are in Sector 5 right now."

"Whoever came up with the names must have been a prodigiously creative individual."

"Hey, don't complain to me. We gotta live with what we get."

The two continued to chat as they walked. One thing Obi-Wan noticed as he followed, though, was Aerith's cheerful mood. It was very contradicting with the atmosphere of the city. The Jedi wondered how such young cheery woman ended up in a place like this. _Well, it's none of my business, that's for certain_, Obi-Wan thought. _But speaking of living..._

"Ms. Gainsborough, how do you make a living in such a dreary place?" he asked.

"I sell flowers, 1 gil for each. I grow the flowers at the church and some back at my home... Uh oh. We got company."

After Aerith abruptly warned the knight, Obi-Wan noticed a shady group consisting of three men approaching them from afar. All of them were tall and well-built; they looked rather nefarious.

"Don't worry, I got this," Aerith calmly whispered.

"Really? A young flower girl taking on a group of thugs would be quite a memorable scene," Obi-Wan whispered back.

"What? Are you kidding me? I'm not going to take them on."

"What are you planning to do, then?"

"I'll distract them first. Then, when I give you a signal, you run. I'll follow right behind you."

"Where am I suppose to run to?"

"Anywhere for now."

Obi-Wan looked at the (potentially) ruffian group; they were closer than before.

"What would be your signal?" he asked in a whisper.

"I'll shout, 'Behind you!' After that, just run away as fast as you can," Aerith whispered back.

"...That is a sound and logical plan. I see absolutely no flaw in it whatsoever."

"Thanks, it sure is... Wait a minute, are you being sarcastic?"

"Maybe."

The ruffian group was much closer than before. However, Obi-Wan quickly realized one thing.

"We had all the time to run away when we first spotted them," said the knight.

"...Oops. Sorry about that, but never fear. I lived in this place for my whole life, and I always ran away from these kind of guys successfully."

_Whole life, hmm? _the knight wondered.

Before the Jedi knight was able to do anything else, the shady group of thugs stood right in front of them, all looking villainous. At that moment, Aerith bravely stepped forth and said with a mean expression, "You're in our way, punk." (Obi-Wan nearly laughed.)

"You got guts to say that, gal," said the man in the middle of group. "And we like that. How 'bout you come along with us and have fun t'night?"

"Sorry, not interested," Aerith said as she shrugged. "Besides, I have to escort Uncle Cecil here to his home."

"Is that so?" the main in the middle asked. "Then pay up! We ain't going away without any gil in our pockets!"

"Alright alright," the flower girl said as she started to search for the contents of her pockets. Suddenly, her posture stiffened. Her emerald eyes widened as she lifted her right pointer finger and started waving it; she then shrieked dramatically, "BEHIND YOU!"

Obi-Wan started dashing to nowhere in particular. However, he abruptly stopped; _Wait a minute, this plan would never work_, he thought. As the knight turned around, he saw the leader of the group grab Aerith by her right arm...not that the Jedi was surprised.

"Hold on, this isn't suppose to happen!" exclaimed the captive.

"Tough luck for you. Our friend Bobby told us about your ingenious trick," said the second thug, snickering.

"Oh no- Wait, who's Bobby?"

"A victim of your trick," the third thug said.

"Oh."

"Don't get relaxed!" shouted the thug leader as he yanked Aerith's arm. "Now, give me your money or I'll-"

"Let her go," said Obi-Wan as he slowly approached the ruffians. But, to the flower girl's surprise, the man released his grip on her.

"You do not want to steal our money," Obi-Wan continued.

"We do not want to steal your money," said the thug, his villainous expression disappearing.

"You are going to leave us be."

"We are going to leave you be."

Aerith was shocked with the event that was transpiring. Obi-Wan was persuading the thugs to leave them! She was even more surprised with the cloaked man's next lines.

"You will return the items you stole to their rightful owners."

"We will return the items we stole to their rightful owners."

"You want to go home and rethink your life."

"We want to go home and rethink our lives."

And with that, the group walked away as if nothing happened.

"There we go. Are you alright?" Obi-Wan asked Aerith.

The flower girl, however, was still in a state of surprise. "How... How did you do that?" she slowly asked. Disbelief was still in her eyes.

The Jedi knight wondered if he should tell the truth or fabricate a tale. He was not too sure if it was safe to reveal his identity in this remote planet. For sure, the Empire had not reached this part of the galaxy...if he even was in the same galaxy. But, lurking danger is everywhere and he did not spend much time in this planet. Therefore, Obi-Wan simply said, "I am incredibly good at persuading people."

"'Persuading people'? What you did back there seemed more like mind control," Aerith said incredulously.

"It may not seem like it, but people with weak minds are easily persuaded by others."

"Is it really that simple?"

"Yes, it is."

"Hmm...Hrrrrrnnng," Aerith groaned while grabbing her hair. "I don't get it. Just thinking about how it works hurts my head."

Obi-Wan smiled and said, "You are over-thinking about this matter a little too much. I would advise you to stop thinking about."

Aerith took a deep breath and said, "Yeah... Maybe I should stop. Okay, so where were we?"

"We were heading for your house before being rudely halted by a gang of uncivilized individuals."

"Huh? Oh yes! We were heading home! Okay where are we...Oh yes! I know where we are. Umm... Which way was it again?... Yes! Yes! Follow me!" blurted Aerith as she started navigating through the maze of dirty buildings.

_Hmm, I wonder if following this 'Aerith' character is a good idea_, thought Obi-Wan as he followed the lead. _Nevertheless, I sense something within this young lady. But, I find it odd that I am sensing the Force running through her but not through others such as James Wiki. Ms. Gainsborough, you are a mysterious one_.

* * *

><p>As the two went on, they reached a bazaar-like area. The area was a little more crowded than other parts of the slum. All in all, the bazaar was much livelier than the places they were in before (although "livelier" was an overstatement).<p>

"This place has all the essential shops: an item shop, a weapon shop, and a materia shop," Aerith said. "You might want to buy some stuff if you're planning to stay in these slums for a while."

"What is a 'materia'?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Simply, it is Mako in crystal form that allows people like you and me to use "magic,"" the flower girl explained.

"Oh, I see- Wait, _magic_? What kind of magic?"

"Magic as in lightning, fire, ice, cure, and much more."

"...Hold on. So with these materia, you can _cast magic_?"

"Yup."

..._Interesting_, the Jedi thought. "How much does one materia cost?"

"Well, the price varies according to its value, but the cheapest one costs about 600 gil," Aerith explained. "Not only that but you'll need a weapon or a bangle to actually equip it."

_Blast it. And I thought I had enough money_, Obi-Wan thought to himself. "Perhaps I should consider buying one in the near future."

"You should. You're persuasion skills won't always save you from trouble, Mr. Ken-oh-bee."

"You are getting close to memorizing my name, Ms. Gainsborough," the knight encouraged. "Hold on a second, I don't see you with any weapon or materia. And you are worrying more about me than yourself?"

Aerith then started chewing her lips, looking slightly nervous. "...Umm, about that," she began, "I used to have a staff."

"You _used_ to have a staff? What happened to it?"

"It kinda... broke."

"How did your staff break?"

The flower girl looked around as if to check for something. Then, she took several deep breaths and beckoned Obi-Wan to come closer. The cloaked man did and Aerith began to whisper into his right ear. As she construed about what happened, he made several frowns and gasps. When the young woman finished her story, Obi-Wan was left speechless.

After a long moment of silence, he commented, "That was terrible."

Aerith grimly concurred, "I'll say."

"I feel sorry for that group of people. What do you think happened to them?"

"...Honestly, I don't want to know."

"How did you even _do_ that?"

"It was an accident!" Aerith contended. "I didn't mean to do all... _that_."

"Do you think that those people remember how you look like? Because, if they do-"

"I... don't want to talk about it anymore."

The two fell silent after the story was told. A few seconds later, the Jedi realized something.

"So, that terrible "Staff Incident" transpired several hours ago?" he asked nervously.

"Yeah," the flower girl replied before realizing the problem as well. "Oh wait. Uh oh."

"We probably need to get to your home as fast as possible," Obi-Wan suggested.

"You can't be anymore right," Aerith agreed as she started walking at a quick pace.

And the two walked away as fast as they could.

* * *

><p>While the two were walking through another maze of trash, Aerith said to the older man, "It's a secret."<p>

"You mean the "Staff Incident"?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Yes, that. You're so far the first person to know about it other than me. I hope it would stay that way."

"Oh, don't worry. In fact, I would like to forget about it as quickly as I can."

"Okay...okay..."

Silence fell upon them once more. The duo simply walked quietly; the flower girl still lead the way and Obi-Wan still followed her. As minutes of silence passed, Aerith broke the tranquility, "Mr. Ken-oh-bee,"

"Yes?"

"May I just call you 'Obi' instead?"

"Obi? Is it because my last name is too hard to remember?"

"Well, kinda. In return, you can just call me Aerith."

"Alright, Aerith. Obi it shall be."

And the flower girl had fun calling the cloaked man Obi for the next few minutes.

* * *

><p>"Home, sweet home!" said the flower girl as the duo reached her house.<p>

Aerith's house was, simply put, a beautiful sight (although, it was mostly because of the condition of the rest of the slums). A small, clean house was situated near the waterway. Beyond the house were two mini islands populated by bright yellow flowers.

"Hoo, I'm tired. Let's go inside," Aerith said as she entered her home.

"Alright," Obi-Wan said as he followed her.

Inside the house was as lively as it was from the outside. The hexagonal living room had tan walls and red stone flooring. A round table covered with white table cloth was in the middle of the room with three wooden chairs around it. On the opposite side of the doorway, there was a television set resting on some drawers and a stairway leading upstairs. Another thing Obi-Wan realized was that there were many flowers in the house also.

"Mom, I'm home!" the flower girl called out.

Several second later, a middle-aged woman emerged from the kitchen. She was a brunette woman with blue eyes whose hair was tied into a bun. The older woman wore a green sleeveless clothing matching with her green dress. She was also wearing a white apron.

"Hey mom, sorry I'm late," apologized Aerith. "This man's name is Obi-Wan... Ken-oh-bee. He needed a place to stay, so I brought him here."

The older woman, however, seemed a little upset and payed no attention to the cloaked man. "Aerith, how old are you? Just look at the time! And you know better than to bring strangers home," she said unhappily.

"But mom, Obi needed a place to stay in," the flower girl urged. "And besides, he's my friend now. There's no need to be worried because of him."

"I will be talking to you later, young lady," the mother warned as her eyes narrowed. She then turned to the Jedi knight and said, "As for you-"

For an unknown reason, she never finished the sentence. The woman froze as she began to inspect Obi-Wan's face, although it looked like she was having trouble due to the man's hood covering the bearded face.

"Umm... Shall I take leave?" the knight said as he pulled his hood down, revealing his face to the mother.

The older woman, however, gasped and backed away as she saw Obi-Wan's face. Her face paled as she mumbled the words, "Oh my..." Aerith, who stood between Obi-Wan and her mother, looked at Obi-Wan then at her mother with a very confused look. "What's going on?" the flower girl asked.

"Is there anything wrong, ma'am?" the equally-confused knight politely asked.

The older woman blinked three times and regained her composure. "I'm sorry," she apologized, "I have mistaken you for someone else. What was your name again?"

"It's Obi-Wan Kenobi."

"Oh, yes. You may stay here for tonight, Mr. Kenobi. In fact, I'm cooking dinner right now. You may eat with us in an hour if you want to."

"That is awfully generous of you. Thank you," Obi-Wan said with a slight bow.

"Oh no, it would be my pleasure to serve my guests. For now, Aerith will lead you to your room. Right Aerith?"

That caught Aerith by surprise. "Huh? Oh! Yeah, I'll show him around," she said uneasily.

"Good," replied the mother. "Now go ahead and do that. I'll be fixing dinner." She then returned to the kitchen.

"Obi, follow me upstairs," said the flower girl as she started walking up the stairway.

The man followed her and saw that there were two doors on the second floor. As the two walked, the young lady stopped in the middle of her track and turned to the knight.

"Sorry about my mom," Aerith said. "She gets uneasy at times, but this is the first time I saw her get THAT uneasy."

"True, she seemed a little uncomfortable of my presence," Obi-Wan added. "Although, she got my name right in an instant unlike you."

"Hmph. So maybe one person gets your name right," Aerith huffed as she looked away. "Big deal."

"Perhaps you should take me to the guest room," the knight reminded.

"Oh yeah. Follow me."

Several steps later, the two stopped by a door. "This is my room," the flower girl explained. "If you need something, just give this door a knock or two and I'll help you." They then walked on and stopped by another door. "This is the guest room. It's where you'll rest for today. Remember, if you need something, you can visit my room. Also, dinner will be ready in an hour, so be prepared for that. Do you have anything you want to ask?"

"Yes, where is the bathroom?"

"Bathroom? It's at the opposite end of this hallway. You can't miss it."

"Alright," Obi-Wan said as he turned to open the guest room door. Before he went in, he turned and called out, "Oh, and Aerith?"

"Yes?" Aerith said.

"I must thank you for providing me a place to stay."

"No problem," the flower girl replied as she smiled. And with that, both went into their rooms.

* * *

><p>Obi-Wan went inside and observed the room. It was a small comfy room with a bed by the window and a sofa on the other side of it. The auburn-haired man took his cloak off and sat on the bed. As he sat, the Jedi took out his lightsaber from his belt. He contemplated as he stared at his weapon. <em>What am I to do now<em>, Obi-Wan thought. _How did I end up in this planet, anyway? I can't hide my identity forever, even if the Jedi aren't known here_.

As the knight continued to examine his lightsaber, he thought, _And I still cannot sense Luke Skywalker through the Force. Perhaps I should really stay for the time being_. Then, the knight recalled something. _And...there is something about this girl. This Aerith Gainsborough._

Using the Force, Obi-Wan let the lightsaber gently float and placed it on top of his robes on the sofa. He then took off his boots and turned towards the window. The Jedi collectedly observed the scenery: deteriorating buildings (some already about to be triturated), smokes rising from different areas, dim lights shining from the large plate that covered the whole sky. _Well, I hope I can get used to this environment_, the knight thought.

* * *

><p>Aerith, too, sat on her bed, thinking about the events that took place hours ago (excluding the dreaded "Staff Incident"). She was thinking about the strange man that showed up in the church out of nowhere. <em>That man, Obi... I'm getting a feeling he isn't any ordinary traveler<em>, the flower girl thought. _Something about him is...mysterious. And his "persuasion"... I doubt that it was just his talking skills that changed the thieves' minds. It's almost as if he mind-controlled them_.

As she continued to think, she noticed something perplexing. _The planet_, she thought. _The planet becomes abruptly silent when Obi is near. Even now, it's quieter than usual_.

Her train of thoughts came to an unexpected end; "Aerith! Dinner's ready! Bring Mr. Kenobi as well!" Aerith's mother shouted from the first floor.

_Oh, here we go. _Aerith got up, rushed out of her room, and barged into the guest room. "Obi, dinner's ready!" she merrily said.

This action took Obi-Wan, who was still sitting on the bed, by surprise. The man slightly flinched as the brunette flower girl swung the door open.

"Oops, sorry about that," Aerith immediately apologized, "Kinda forgot to keep my manners."

"It's quite alright," the auburn-haired man said. He then secretly used the Force to hide his lightsaber from Aerith's vision by slightly adjusting his cloak's position. Fortunately, the girl did not seem to notice. As the Jedi stood, he said, "Alright, let's go."

With that, the two headed downstairs to eat dinner.

* * *

><p>The three were enjoying the meal. The dinner consisted of simple food. Well, at least that's what Obi-Wan thought. He presumed that he was eating cooked turkey, salad, and some other things that he wasn't able to name at the moment.<p>

"Oh, I almost forgot. What is your name, ma'am?" Obi-Wan asked the middle-aged woman.

"My name is Elmyra Gainsborough," Elmyra replied.

"Forgive me if I'm being rude, but do I resemble someone you know of?" the man asked. "You seemed to be surprised by my attributes."

Silence filled the room for a brief moment as Elmyra hesitated about something. Ten seconds later, the woman replied, "Yes, you look remarkably similar to someone I know of."

"I see," Obi-Wan simply said and resumed eating. But Miss Gainsborough looked as if she wanted to say a little more. Eventually, she admitted, "I'll be honest. You looked a lot like my husband."

Obi-Wan paused and looked at Elmyra. "Oh, I see," he said. "Err..."

"I'm terribly sorry, but I had to let it out. It was getting...uncomfortable."

"Yes, yes. It is completely understandable..."

…

…

…

…

_Well, this became very awkward_, Aerith thought, shaking her head. _Nice job, mom._

…

…

_Okay, this is too awkward for me. I need to get out._ "May I be excused? I need to tend the flowers," Aerith asked her mother politely.

"Huh? Oh yes, you may," she responded.

In an instant, Aerith ran out of her house to the flower beds.

_This awkwardness is so thick, even a lightsaber will have trouble cutting through it._ Eventually, Obi-Wan started a conversation, "Your daughter is very kind and, might I add, special."

"Yes she is. It's very unfortunate that she had to end up in this hellish place," Elmyra said. "She deserves much more than this."

_This may be a good chance to get some about information about that girl._ "But," the knight began, "there's something about her that distinguishes her from other people." He cautiously added, "Even _you_."

"What do you mean?" Elmyra asked rather nervously.

"She has strange powers, doesn't she?" Obi-Wan asked. _I sense the Force and something I cannot grasp running through her. She must have some strange abilities, then._

"...How would you know that?"

"I am skilled in detecting such things. I was a monk once in my life." _It would be safe to divulge that much, I hope._

Miss Gainsborough went silent. Then she said, "Are you finished with your food?"

"Yes, it was a wonderful meal, might I add."

"Then, follow me," the middle-aged woman said as she stood and went outside the domicile.

Obi-Wan quickly wiped his mouth with a nearby napkin and followed her. Elmyra stood in front of the door, watching Aerith tend the yellow flowers in the nearest mini isle. The Jedi walked and stood next to Aerith's mother. They simply stood still for several seconds until Elmyra spoke.

"You are a very keen man, Mr. Kenobi," she said as she continued to watch her daughter.

"So, I am correct?" Obi-Wan asked as he turned to Miss Gainsborough.

"Quite. Aerith is not just some girl you could run into," the woman commented. "I presume you figured out that I am not her biological mother."

"Really? I haven't known that," the auburn-haired man answered honestly. "Then, who is her real mother?"

"I... never knew her name. It all began when I received a letter saying that my husband was returning from the war. I waited for him at the train station for hours, but he never came. But I was sure that his leave was just canceled. So from then on, I visited the station every day. Then, one day in the station, I found a badly injured woman with a small child crying."

"And that child was Aerith and the injured woman was her real mother..." Obi-wan commented.

"That's correct," said Elmyra, then returned to her story. "Then, I ran-"

"Wait a minute," the confused man interrupted. "There must have been a guard in the station."

"Yes, there was only one," Miss Gainsborough said as she turned to Obi-Wan.

"What was the guard doing? Why didn't he help the woman when he had the chance?"

"That... is a good question. But in the end, he did nothing. That was that for him."

"I guess you're right..."

"So anyway," Elmyra continued, "I ran to the woman to help her, but as I tried to help her up, she only shook her head. She then told me, 'Please take Aerith somewhere safe.' She then breathed her last breath and died.

"My husband never came back and I had no child. I was probably lonely. So, I decided to take Aerith home with me.

"Aerith and I became close very quickly. That child loved to talk and still does. She always talks to me about everything." The woman then paused to wave her hand at Aerith who was waving hers as well.

Obi-Wan's curiosity took control of his mind. He had to ask, "Were there any _interesting_ topics that she talked about?"

"There were some," Elmyra said. "She once told me she escaped from some kind of research laboratory somewhere and that her mother had already returned to the planet."

"Return to the planet?" Obi-Wan asked. "What do you mean by that?"

"I didn't know what she meant and I still don't," Miss Gainsborough said as she shook her head. "She simply said her mother returned to this planet..."

_Returning to the planet..._, Obi-Wan thought to himself. _Would that mean becoming one with the planet? Like the Force, except...different? Confusing._

_ And let's not forget about the lab part_, the auburn-haired man added. _I wonder what that meant..._

"There was another interesting event," Elmyra said. "Once, she called me and told me not to cry."

"You mean, all of a sudden?"

"Yes. When I asked her if something happened, she told me that someone dear to me had just died. She then said that his spirit was coming to see me, but he already returned to the planet."

"Is this 'dear someone' your..."

… The middle-aged woman became silent as her sad expression formed.

"I'm sorry to hear that," Obi-Wan said solemnly.

"No, it's okay," Elmyra responded. "Anyway, continuing with the story, I didn't believe her at the time. But, several days later, we received a notice saying my husband died."

_...Knowing someone's death from far away...Interesting_, Obi-Wan thought. "That is a very aberrant ability," he said. "Hopefully no one will know of her secret powers."

"I wish nobody knew, as well."

"You mean, there are people who know? Other than me, of course."

"Yes, it is Shinra," Elmyra said solemnly.

"Hmm, that isn't too bad," the man said. "Shinra is only an electric company."

"No, it isn't. Shinra is Midgar's government. It even has its own army."

_What? How can an electric company be so powerful?_ Obi-Wan thought. Before he got to ask about it, the knight decided to forgo asking.

"Anyway," the woman continued again, "Shinra sent a man to take her. He came to my house and told me to return Aerith to them, saying that they've been searching for her for a long time. Aerith strongly objected. The man, however, said that she was a special child and her mother was an 'Ancient'. He continued that the Ancients will lead everyone to a land of supreme happiness.

Aerith, however, denied that she was an Ancient, even claiming that she didn't hear voices when she was alone when the man asked about it.

"But I knew about her mysterious powers. She tried so hard to hide it, so I acted as though I never noticed."

"That's very interesting," Obi-Wan commented, "although, it must be hard for her to hide from Shinra for such a long time."

"She gets me worried at times," Elmyra said. "Aerith is a very outgoing person. She isn't scared to go around selling flowers even when the Shinra employees are out to get her."

"...It must be hard when you are being chased by everyone..." Obi-Wan mumbled darkly as he recalled his Clone Wars day when all of the clone soldiers turned against him and his Jedi colleagues. "But, why did you tell me all of this?"

"Sorry?" Miss Gainsborough asked with a quizzical look.

"You knew me for only several hours. And you seemed completely comfortable with telling me all of this."

"Well, something tells me that you are a trustworthy person," the woman admitted.

_That's the second time I heard that_, Obi-Wan noticed. _What is with everyone and their faith in this "something"? I highly doubt that it's a case a naivety._

"I'll be going in now," Elmyra said as she went into her home. "Don't forget to close the door when you come in."

When Elmyra closed the door, Obi-Wan leaned against the wall and closed his eyes. _Ancients_, he thought. _Hearing voices, sensing death, returning to the Planet... What does it all mean?_ As he opened his eyes, he noticed Aerith walking to him.

"Hey!" Aerith called out happily. "What were you talking about with mom?"

"We were just talking about you," Obi-Wan said, revealing only part of the truth. "I heard that you have a knack of getting into trouble."

"Ha ha, very funny," the flower girl commented blandly. Then she added with a suspicious smile, "Or, were you, by chance, flirting with my mother?"

"What?" the man said, slightly alarmed. "How _uncivilized_!"

"Hey, I'm just kidding!" Aerith defended. "Anyway, what do you plan to do tomorrow?"

"Me?" Obi-Wan started. "Oh, I'm planning to tour around the slums alone. I need to think about something as well."

"Really? What if you get lost?"

"Don't worry about me. I am incredibly skilled in backtracking. I'll find my way back here."

"Hmm... Are you sure? You won't need my help?"

"Positive. What do you plan to do tomorrow anyway?"

Aerith replied proudly, "Me? I'm going up to the plate. I'll be selling some flowers there."

"That's nice. Hopefully you won't recreate the dreaded "Staff Incident"."

"HEY! I thought we agreed to not talk about that!" the flower girl exclaimed.

"Oh, alright. We should probably get inside, anyway."

With that, the duo went back into the house. Elmyra, finished with moving all the dishes to the sink, was sitting on a chair watching television. Having nothing else to do, Obi-Wan and Aerith sat on the remaining chairs.

"You have a fine, energetic, indefatigable daughter, Miss Gainsborough," Obi-Wan said, earning a glance of suspicion from the flower girl.

"Why thank you, Mr. Kenobi," replied Elmyra. "This house is full of liveliness thanks to her."

Obi-Wan made a slight mischievous smile and said, "Yes. In fact, she was involved in this incredible event where she-"

"Ahem," Aerith interrupted, glaring at the smiling man.

"How uncivilized," the auburn-haired man commented.

"What? What is it?" the middle-aged woman asked, now curious of what Obi-Wan was trying to say.

"Nothing," Obi-Wan assured. "It is nothing." The Jedi was not too much of a joker, but he had to admit that he enjoyed teasing Aerith with the "Staff Incident".

Minutes passed as the three simply watched television. The first thing they watched was the news. _It's _Shinra_ News_, the knight noticed. _Blazes, that is some company._ While watching the news, Obi-Wan learned about an interesting group of insurrectionists, the AVALANCHE. The news reporters, however, did not clearly talk about the reasons of the group's actions; they only cast aspersions on it. _Those reporters are wonderfully biased_, the man sarcastically thought.

When the news did not offer any other interesting scoops, Elmyra surfed through the channels and ended up in a movie channel. It was showing a medieval themed movie. But the three immediately noticed that the only things the movie had to offer were excessive gore and uncivil words. The only useful information Obi-Wan ever got from it was the existence of chocobos, which were large yellow chick-like birds that were used for transportation. When the auburn-haired man was waiting for anyone to change the channel, he noticed that the two women were spellbound by the movie. _Probably too shocked by the movie_, he dismissed as he grabbed the remote from Elmyra's hand and changed the channel. This released both women from the strangely-captivating movie.

Next, they watched a horror movie. The three expected a good suspense out of it. Instead, they were rewarded with another gore-fest, although it was violent to a lesser extent compared to the last movie. "The new synonym for horror," said Elmyra as she changed the channel, "must be violence. You never get a decent SCARY horror movie nowadays."

Few minutes later, Obi-Wan and Aerith said their good-nights to Miss Gainsborough as the two went upstairs. The two took turns brushing their teeth and went into their rooms after saying good night.

As Obi-Wan went to bed, he tried communicating with Luke Skywalker via telepathy. But he received no reply. The knight was not able to feel him through the Force, either. Disappointed, the man quickly fell asleep.

The Jedi expected a dreamless night. Instead, he was able to hear something in his sleep.

"...Je...di..."

_Who's there?_ Obi-Wan called out.

"...Je...di...Je...di..."

_How cryptic. Can you at least tell me who you are?_

"...Je...di...Je...di..."

_'Jedi'? Do you need me for something?_

"...Je...di..."

_This will be a long night..._

"...Je...di..."

* * *

><p>Uncharacteristically, Obi-Wan woke up very late. The dream kept him sleeping for a long time, he assumed. He checked the clock to see what time it is. <em>1:00 P.M.<em>, he observed. _That's a new record for me. Hopefully, this will never happen again. And I can sense that Aerith already left._

After brushing his face and washing his face, the auburn-haired man tucked his lightsaber on his belt and wore his earthly-brown Jedi robe. When he went downstairs, he noticed a slip of paper and a black pen on the table. It said, "Mr. Kenobi, I am currently out buying the groceries, so I will not be home by the time you are reading this. Aerith is out selling flowers, so she won't be home in a while. In the meantime, make yourself at home. If you need to eat something, you may help yourself with the food in the fridge. If you need to call me, there's a telephone near the television. My PHS number should be right next to it. -Elmyra"

Obi-Wan thought to himself for a moment, then he flipped the paper and wrote a note on it. He wrote, "Dear Miss Gainsborough, if I'm not home by your arrival, I'm currently touring the slums. Do not worry about me so much, I'll come home. I'm good at remembering my tracks. - Obi-Wan Kenobi" With that, the Jedi knight left the house, locked the door using the Force, and set out.

* * *

><p>Half an hour later, Obi-Wan found himself trekking through a debris of metal structures and roads. While he was walking traveling through the mess, he was encountered by a strange mechanical house that seemed to attack strangers with missiles and fire arms. The Jedi was tempted to just slice it in half with his lightsaber, but he did not want to leave any evidences behind. So, he simply Force-jumped over it and ran away. <em>How humiliating...<em>he thought as he dashed away.

Moments later, he ended up in a dirty playground. It had what all playgrounds had: seesaw, swings, slides, etc. _This place looks like it hasn't been used for years_, the man thought. He continued walking through the bedraggled park until he reached a towering steel gate that stood well over fifteen meters. On the gate, the words "Sector 7" were inscribed. This perked the cloaked man's curiosity.

_Opening this won't be a strenuous task_, Obi-Wan thought. Feeling the flow of the Force, the Jedi found no one around. _Although, checking if there are any people around is slightly irksome._

The auburn-haired man stretched out his right hand and gently waved. As if it started to obey him, the humungous steel gate slowly opened. The slums on the other side, as Obi-Wan expected, did not look any more impressive. He walked on anyway.

The first peculiar thing Obi-Wan saw was an elephantine pillar-like structure that reached up to the ceiling of the plate. Another interesting detail he observed was the train station to his right. Beyond the station, however, there was only an uninhabited junkyard of decommissioned trains. Therefore, the man turned left.

The Jedi found himself in another "town square" sort of place. But what really caught his attention was a certain building with a huge board that said, "7th Heaven." _How convenient_, thought Obi-Wan as a smile grew on his face. _I was somewhat expecting a bar to be somewhere. And now I find it here! Perhaps I could have a light drink before going back. _After mentally giving himself a pat on a back for going on a profitable trip through the slums, Obi-Wan headed for the building.

* * *

><p>There were already two people in the bar: the bar hostess and the customer. The hostess was a young woman with pale skin and long dark brown hair that went below her waist and was tied at the tips. She also had red eyes, though, the details most men might instinctively catch were her fairly large breasts and long legs. The hostess was wearing a sleeveless white shirt that exposed some parts of her midriff with a black miniskirt and white teardrop earrings. She also wore black and red gloves that went up to her elbows, red boots, and a metal left elbow guard. The customer was a blonde young man slightly shorter than most of the men but a bit taller than the hostess. He had a spiky hair with one large spike standing out. Interestingly, the young man had blue eyes that literally glowed. He was wearing indigo sleeveless turtleneck shirt, pants, and a belt. The customer also wore brown boots and gauntlets with a pauldron on his left shoulder. The most notable thing about him, however, was a huge gray sword that rested beside him. The hostess, standing behind the counter, talked to the customer, who sat on the stool drinking a large glass of water.<p>

"Well, Cloud," the bar hostess said, "it's your first day to work with AVALANCHE. Feeling nervous?"

"No," the customer, Cloud Strife, replied tersely.

"Really? I would feel nervous if I have to bomb a mako reactor."

"Perhaps."

The young woman's look became thoughtful as she said, "C'mon, Cloud. Try lightening up a bit and get along with the rest of the crew. You are going to work with us for a while."

The blonde man sighed and said, "Look, Tifa, I-" He then heard someone approaching the bar. "Someone's coming."

Tifa Lockhart, the bar hostess, shrugged and said, "It could be Barret."

"No, it's not him. The footsteps are lighter. We'll talk about this later."

Both became silent and acted casual: Tifa waited for the customer to come in and Cloud simply remained seated and drank his water. Moments later, a man cloaked in a brown robe came in and looked around. Then, he pulled down his hood, revealing a pale blue-gray eyed face with auburn hair and beard, and sat on the stool in front of the counter and next to the blonde customer.

"Hello, ma'am," the auburn-haired man said. "I would like a cup of any light liquor, please."

"The lightest we have right now is a Midgar Blast Lite," the hostess said. "One cup would be 3 gil. Would you like one?"

_How ironic_, Cloud thought as he took a sip from his cup of water. _Midgar will have one of its reactors blown up by us_.

"Yes, thank you," Obi-Wan said as he paid with a 10 gil bill. He received one 5 gil bill and two 1 gil bills, along with a cup of Midgar Blast Lite.

The three remained silent as the two customers slowly drank their refreshments. This was the way Cloud liked it; it gave him some peace. The other man, however, seemed to think differently. Obi-Wan decided to cut through the silence by asking the bar hostess a question.

"Ma'am," the man-in-robe asked.

"Yes?" said the woman.

"What exactly is AVALANCHE?"

The silence was immediately replaced with uneasiness. The questioner did not seem to notice this, however.

"Um... AVALANCHE," Tifa began, "is a group of terrorists who are against Shinra's mako reactor development, or so I've heard."

"Why would they be against these power plant development?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Because," the bar hostess said determinedly, "these reactors are sucking up the life of this planet...At least, that's what I've heard."

_If this interrogation continues, our little secret organization is going to be revealed_, Cloud thought grimly. Although the auburn-haired man still seemed curious, his short train of questions came to a halt.

"I see..." he simply said. The Jedi then began to contemplate as he drank from his cup. As he drank from his cup and turned to the blonde man, however, he noticed something strange about the other man's eyes.

"Hello," Obi-Wan said to the other customer.

Cloud did not respond.

"Those are some fascinating eyes you have there," the man-in-robe continued.

Cloud continued to be silent.

"And a rather enthralling hairstyle, as well."

_What's up with this guy? _Cloud thought. The blonde man finally said, "What do you want?"

"Nothing, really. Just decided to talk to you."

"Well, I have nothing to talk about."

"But I would like to ask something. Forgive me if I'm being rude, but how are your eyes shining like so?

"...It's because I'm SOLDIER: First Class," the blonde man said somewhat pridefully as he smirked. _How's that, mystery man? Not so curious now, are you?_

The Jedi, however, was still confused. "Hmm... So you're a soldier."

"Yes, I-" Cloud began but stopped abruptly as he realized the auburn-haired man was thinking of a wrong type of a soldier. "No no no, not any soldier. I am THE SOLDIER."

"I'm afraid I do not get it."

"SOLDIERs are elite fighters working for Shinra. They were given "special" treatments to perform tasks that ordinary people can't," Cloud explained.

"My goodness," Obi-Wan murmured with awe as he took a sip from his cup.

_Impressed, aren't you? _the blonde man thought. _Now you know exactly who you're talking to_-

"Shinra trains SOLDIERs?" the auburn-haired man said. "That is a remarkable achievement for an _electric power_ company to gain, to train both soldiers and elite fighters."

_...What?_ Cloud thought incredulously. He also could have sworn Tifa just stifled a laugh. The SOLDIER gulped down his cup of water and said pertinently to the man-in-robe, now fully facing him, "You are missing the _point_."

"Oh, I know your point: You're an elite fighter," Obi-Wan pointed out calmly. "I was just surprised at how Shinra could- ...You look petulant, young man."

_I do, do I?_ Cloud wanted to say; instead, he said, "No, I'm not" as he turned back to the counter and started to drink his water.

After a moment of silence, the mystery man said, "Those Shinra people are INCREDIBLY creative, I figure."

"What makes you say that?" the blonde man asked?

"They name their elite group SOLDIER and each sectors by numbers."

..._Sarcastic fool_, the SOLDIER thought.

"So," the phlegmatic man-in-robe continued to talk, "can you tell me how some of your missions went?"

Cloud was irritated at this man, but he was even more irritated when Tifa had the look that seemed to ask the same question as his. So, he gave the you-can-shut-up-now glare at the auburn-haired man.

"How uncivilized," Obi-Wan quietly murmured so that no one else could hear it. He turned back to his drink.

Although Tifa wasn't able to hear this, Cloud, having enhanced senses, was able to pick this up. '_Uncivilized', am I?_ the SOLDIER bitterly thought. _Just _who _do you think you are?_

Several minutes later, the auburn-haired man stood up as he said to Tifa, "Thank you for the drink." He then placed a 1 gil bill next to his cup and left.

Unbeknownst to Obi-Wan, Cloud was able to catch a glimpse of his lightsaber on his belt as he left. When the man-in-robe left, Tifa broke into a laughter.

"What's so funny?" the blonde man asked exasperatedly.

"Your...heh...face...when..." Tifa gasped out until she continued laughing. When her laughing died, she was able to say, "Heh... Your face was priceless when he was amazed at Shinra rather than you."

Cloud just grumbled as he drank from his cup of seemingly endless water. "But still," Tifa continued, "this is the first time you ever opened up to a person ever since you came here."

"I didn't 'open up' to anyone," the SOLDIER pointed out. "The man was just being incredibly nosy."

_Even so_, Tifa thought, _you are being a little more talkative than usual_.

"There's something about him that I just don't like, though," Cloud said seriously. "Other than his nosiness, that is."

"What is it?"

"When he was leaving, I saw a metallic cylinder-shaped rod concealed in his robe."

"Um, it could be a flashlight."

"The design was too complicated to be a simple flashlight."

"It could be a _custom_ flashlight."

"Why would anyone make a _custom_ flashlight?"

"It's possible," Tifa pointed out.

Moments later after the discussion, Cloud looked at the clock hanging on the wall and blurted out, "Oh no, I'm late. Talk to you later." With that, the SOLDIER took his huge sword and ran out the door.

"Good luck!" Tifa shouted as the blonde man ran out. In truth, unlike Cloud, she was thankful to the mystery man. He was able to get Cloud into a talking mood in a matter of seconds, which was a remarkable task.

_I'm getting a good feeling about this_, she happily thought.

* * *

><p>Although Obi-Wan got one simple question answered, he still wondered about Shinra. <em>They have their own army of soldiers and...SOLDIERs<em>, the auburn-haired man thought carefully. _Just how big and important is this "company"?_ The man came to the Sector gate and opened them in the same fashion as he did before.

_This is becoming curiously interesting_, he continued to think as he walked. _Although, I hope to get out of this planet and meet up with Luke Skywalker. It's rather...vexatious... that I cannot telepathically contact him through the Force. I hope Leia is safe as well._

Several minutes later, he reached Aerith's home. As he went in, he found that Elmyra was home, cleaning the dishes. "Hello, Miss Gainsborough," Obi-Wan said.

"Oh, welcome back," Elmyra said as she momentarily stopped cleaning. "I presume that your little 'adventure' was a fruitful one."

"Quite," the auburn-haired man said. "I found a bar in Sector 7, but other than that, the journey was rather mundane."

"Well, congratulations. Are you hungry, though?"

"Surprisingly, no." But it wasn't surprising for the Jedi. Jedi knights can fast for several days at the least.

"I see. Remember, if you're hungry, there are some food in the fridge."

"Thank you for the food." Obi-Wan seemed to think carefully and said, "Miss Gainsborough, thank you so much for your hospitality. How should I pay you back?"

"Please, it is only a service. Make yourself at home," Elmyra said as she smiled.

"Hmm... Perhaps I can help you with cleaning the house," the knight suggested.

"Well, if you insist. There's a broom next to the front door."

And with that, Obi-Wan got the broom and began sweeping the floor. _Hang on_, he thought all of a sudden, _I'm a Jedi. I could just use the Force!_ With that, the auburn-haired man meditated in the Force and he telepathically brought all the dust in the living room and compacted it into a soccer ball-sized dust ball. _Great_, he thought with satisfaction as he let the dust ball rest right next to the front doorway. _Now it's time to clean upstairs_.

* * *

><p>The flowers were selling quite well, much to Aerith's satisfaction. In total, she was able to make seventy-four gils by selling seventy-four fowers. <em>This is great<em>, Aerith thought happily. _If this continues on I can-_

While she was in her train of thought, a man bumped into her, causing Aerith to fall on her bottom. The rude man, however, did not apologize as he continued to walk away.

"Huh," Aerith mumbled. "How..." As she nearly said 'How rude', a certain auburn-haired man's remark came into the flower girl's mind. "How uncivilized," she said with a smile.

_Oh wait_, she thought. _You shouldn't just say it like that_. "How _uncivilized_," she said again, this time with Obi-Wan's accent. _THERE we go... Heh, it's kinda fun saying it._ "How _uncivilized_," she continued to say, getting strange glances from several passersby.

One moment, Aerith offered to sell a flower to one man. "Would you like to buy a flower?" she asked. "You can buy one for only one gil."

"Oh, I would like one, thank you," the man said, paying one gil to the flower girl.

"Here you go," Aerith said as she exchanged the flower for a gil. "Have a good day, and beware of those _uncivilized_ people," the flower girl said, suppressing a giggle.

"Um...Okay," the man said, walking away with a yellow flower.

_Hmm..._ the flower girl thought. _I must be lucky today. The flowers are selling really well. Maybe I should stay here a little longer._

So, Aerith decided to stay in the upper plate longer than usual. Little did she, let alone anyone, know that a big event was about to transpire in a nearby mako reactor.


	3. The Fragile Secret

"_**Circumstances do not make the man, they reveal him."**_

**FORGE THE PATH**

**Chapter III : The Fragile Secret**

_Man, what a day_, the train station guard thought as he stood still in his post. If he was correct, the guard stood there for over five hours doing nothing but standing there, looking at the railroad periodically. _So boooooooring_, he thought. _It's already night. I wanna go home_.

The guard turned to the only other guard of the station. The other guard stood still, his face not showing any complaint. "Hey buddy," the peevish guard began, "you wanna-"

"Shut up," the other guard curtly replied.

The two guards remained silent for another five minutes until the peevish guard tried to begin another conversation. "So, are you gonna go home after this or are you going to attend John's birthday party?" he asked.

No response.

"Okay," the peevish guard said.

Ten minutes of silence passed until the train finally arrived.

"Man, finally!" the whiny guard cried out. "What time is it? If I can go home on time, I can-"

As he tried to finish his statement, he spotted a muscular man in green jump off from the top of the train. The guard tried to apprehend him, but the mystery man simply slammed him on the train, knocking him unconscious.

"What in the...!" the other guard exclaimed as he ran to help his partner. But as he ran, a young brunette woman came out of the train and kicked him square in the chest, causing the guard to hit his head on the train and falling unconscious.

Few seconds later, a fat man with a red bandana jumped off the train and the trio began to run out the exit. Soon after, a huge, muscular black man wearing a dirty brown vest, green pants, and brown boots ran out of the train. Interestingly, the man's right arm had a large gun in the place of a hand.

The last one to jump off the train was Cloud Strife. As the SOLDIER stood up, the huge man said, "C'mon newcomer. Follow me."As he exited the station, Cloud followed him to the exit. But as he tried to exit, two armed men in blue armor blocked his way.

_Really? You let a guy with a gun-arm run past you but you won't let ME through?_ Cloud thought as he drew his Buster Sword. The men started firing at the SOLDIER, but the blonde man dodge-rolled and slew them both with one horizontal slash. Not caring about the bodies, the SOLDIER ran past them.

Cloud soon caught up with the rest of the group. The brunette woman was trying to open the mechanical door while the rest of the group waited. As the blonde man arrived, Biggs exclaimed, "Wow! You used to be in SOLDIER all right! ...Not everyday ya find one in a group like AVALANCHE."

Jessie, the brunette woman, was shocked to learn that Cloud used to be in SOLDIER and interrupted, "SOLDIER? Aren't _they_ the enemy? What's he doing with us in AVALANCHE?"

"Hold it, Jessie. He WAS in SOLDIER," the man-in-green reassured. "He quit and is one of us now." He thought for a moment and turned to Cloud and said, "I didn't catch your name."

"...Cloud," the blonde man tersely replied.

"Cloud, eh?" Biggs repeated. He extended his hand as he began to say, "I'm-"

"I don't care what your names are," said Cloud rather rudely. "Once this job's over, I'm outta here."

Moments later, the man with a gun-arm came running over. "The hell you all doin'?" he shouted. "I thought I told you never to move in a group! Our target's the North Mako Reactor. We'll meet on the bridge in front of it."

When Jessie opened the large mechanical door, she, Biggs, and the fat man Wedge ran through. As the man with the gun-arm followed the group, he abruptly stopped and turned to Cloud. "Ex-SOLDIER, huh?" he said. "Don't trust ya!"

Cloud let out a sigh and asked, "Barret? Are you _still_ mad about me being late?"

"Yeah," Barret, the gun-armed man, bluntly said. "But that's not the only reason I don't trust ya!" With that, the huge man turned and followed the rest of the AVALANCHE team.

Cloud grumbled as he started running. "I better get paid well for this," he mumbled.

As the team ran to the reactor, they encountered several grunts and guards. Whenever enemies started attacking them, Wedge started screaming something. But the rest of the team were collected and easily defeated anyone who stood in their way.

When AVALANCHE reached the bridge in front of the reactor, Wedge said, "I'll secure the escape passage. Geez, we're really gonna blow this huge furnace up? This will be somethin' to see!" With that, he ran to the other side of the bridge while the others ran into the reactor.

The interior of the reactor was very complicated. While there were clear hallways, there were many pipes and machines all over the place. When everyone entered the structure, Biggs and Jessie began to decipher the code for the door. Barret turned to Cloud and asked, "Yo! This your first time in a reactor?"

Cloud shook his head and replied, "No. After all, I did work for Shinra, y'know."

Barret remained thoughtful for a moment. He then said, "The planet's full of Mako energy. People here use it every day."

The SOLDIER, however, did not show much concern and only shrugged.

The gun-armed man was irritated by the blonde man's attitude. "It's the life blood of this planet," he continued. "But Shinra keeps suckin' the blood out with these weird machines."

_This guy is nearly as annoying as that robed guy back in the bar._ Cloud thought. "I'm not here for a lecture. Let's just hurry."

Barret, now annoyed to the maximum level, let out a menacing growl and barked, "That's IT! You're comin' with me from now on."

"Code deciphered," Biggs said as the mechanical door opened up. "Open sesame," Jessie said happily.

The group ran into the next room as Jessie began to decipher the code of another door. "Just think how many of our people risked their lives just for this code..." Biggs murmured.

When Jessie opened the second door, the team ran into the elevator in the next room while Biggs stayed behind. When the elevator began to descend, Barret continued his last 'lecture' to Cloud, saying, "Little by little, the reactors'll drain out all the life. And that'll be that."

The SOLDIER, as before, showed no interest at all. "It's not my problem," he said as he shrugged.

"The planet's dyin', Cloud!"

"The only thing I care about is finishing this job before security and the Roboguards come."

Barret furiously gritted his teeth and shook his fist, but he said nothing in the end.

When the elevator reached the bottom floor, the team ran out of the elevator. They were now in a very large room with a seemingly endless bright green pit at the bottom. The team ran down the steel stairway, encountering strange robotic security guards, which ranged from one-legged beam-shooter to green squid-like robots. Despite the oddness, the team mercilessly slashed their way through.

Cloud, Barret, and Jessie eventually reached the network of ladders that went down to the core of the reactor. As the team climbed down, Jessie stopped in the middle and stood on a wide metal beam. "I'll stay here and secure the area," she said. "Good luck!"

Several seconds later, Cloud and Barret climbed down and reached the core of the reactor. "When we blow this place," the gun-armed man began, "this ain't gonna be nothin' more than a hunka junk...Cloud."

"What?" Cloud responded.

"Set the bomb."

"Shouldn't you do it?"

"Jus' do it!" Barret snapped as he passed the bomb. "I gotta watch to make sure you don't pull nothin'."

"Fine, be my guest," Cloud said calmly as he received the bomb.

Just as Cloud began to walk towards the machinery, a sharp humming noise splits through the SOLDIER's head. Cloud cringed in pain. _Watch out!_ he was able to hear. _This isn't just a reactor!_

Slightly worried, Barret asked, "Um... What's wrong?"

"Huh?" Cloud dumbly responded as he returned back to reality.

"What's wrong, Cloud?" the irritated gun-armed man snapped. "Hurry up!"

"...Yeah, sorry." With that, Cloud set the bomb. But just as he did, alarms went off.

"Heads up!" the gun-armed man exclaimed as he saw a huge robotic scorpion heading their way. "Here they come!"

Barret aimed his gun at the metal beast and Cloud drew his Buster Sword. The robotic scorpion used its search scope and locked on to the SOLDIER. As it started to jab its sharp tail towards Cloud's direction, Barret used the opportunity to fire at the scorpion. The metal beast, however, showed little sign of damage. "The junk is stronger than it looks!" he exclaimed.

"I think I noticed!" Cloud shouted as he dodged the tail. When he found an opening in the scorpion's attack, the SOLDIER took the chance and jumped over the robotic beast, slashing its head in the process. Cloud landed next to Barret, who noticed that the scorpion started to act strange.

"The tail's going up," Barret noticed as he carefully aimed his gun.

"Barret, be careful!" Cloud exclaimed as he began to notice something. "Attack when its tail is up. It's gonna counter with its laser!"

Barret nodded and said, "Got it," as he rained bullets on the scorpion.

The robotic scorpion, however, countered Barret's attack by unleashing its powerful laser on the two unfortunate fighters.

The two were pushed by the force of the laser and landed on their backs. Being experienced fighters, they quickly recovered and stood up again. Barret, however, was very upset at Cloud's advice. "The hell was that? You said to attack! See if I ever listen to you again!"

"It was a slip of my tongue!" Cloud defended. "I did say it was going to counter, though!"

"RRRRRRRGGGGGHH" Barret growled as he charged and released a huge fireball-like shot towards the scorpion. The metal beast took heavy damage from it, but it was finished off when Cloud jumped high into the air and pierced the robot's head with his sword as he landed. The metal scorpion deactivated and landed on its belly.

"Attack when its tail's up, you said," Barret growled as he pointed at Cloud.

"Look, sorry about that, alright?" Cloud sincerely apologized. "Like I said, it was a slip of my tongue."

Barret grumbled something under his breath while Cloud activated the bomb. "Come on, let's get outta here!" And the two began to run.

"Please refresh my memory," the blonde began as he ran, "but why are we not using a REMOTE detonator rather than this type of bomb?"

"You kiddin'?" Barret replied. "It's way too dangerous to have remote detonators. When we use it, the detonator might suddenly break or somethin' and one of us would be forced to stay behind and manually blow the bomb up."

"...Are you serious?"

"You think I'm kiddin'?"

"Oh my..." Cloud droned as he started climbing up when he reached the ladder network.

As the two climbed on, Cloud noticed Jessie sitting on the walkway. But when he looked closer, he noticed that she was trying to pull her leg off the walkway. The SOLDIER ran to her and asked, "You all right?"

"My leg got stuck," said Jessie as she tried to pull her leg.

"Here, let me help." Cloud moved Jessie's leg and was able to free her leg.

"Thanks!" she said as she started climbing up the ladders.

The team eventually escaped the reactor right before exploding sky high. The explosion was so huge, that nearly everyone in the sector would've heard it. With that, one Mako Reactor was history.

* * *

><p>Back in Sector 5, in Aerith's home, Obi-Wan was in his room, meditating in the Force. He was still trying to connect to Luke Skywalker telepathically, but his efforts were still fruitless.<p>

But as he meditated, he suddenly felt something heavy rush through him. Obi-Wan immediately recognized what it was. It was the cry of people, the fear of people, the death of people. It was the disturbance in the Force. Something big just happened in Midgar. Something not good. _Well, I can sense that Aerith is okay_, the Jedi thought. _I better bring her home before something happens to her_. With that, Obi-Wan stood up and left his room.

As the auburn-haired man tried to leave the house, Elmyra, who was reading a book in the living room, asked him, "Where are you going?"

"Oh, I'm just going to tour around the place again," the knight lied.

"Alright. Hopefully, you'll meet Aerith while you're out. It's nearly time for her to come in."

"Yes. Hopefully I will." Obi-Wan then left the house in search for Aerith.

* * *

><p>The AVALANCHE team was stuck in the ruined escape passageway. The exit was blocked off by rubble, so Jessie started planting explosives to clear the way.<p>

With a sigh, Biggs said, "That should keep the planet going... at least a little longer."

"Yeah," Wedge quietly agreed.

After a moment of silence, Jessie finished setting the explosives and exclaimed, "Okay! Now everyone get back."

The bomb exploded and cleared out the rubble in the exit. Everyone was able to get out. The situation of the city was not too great. The buildings were on fire, the streets were a mess, and the people were at disorder.

"All right, now let's get out of her," Barret said. "Rendezvous at Sector 8 station! Split up and get on the train!"

Biggs, Wedge, and Jessie nodded and scattered in different directions. As Barret started to leave, Cloud exclaimed, "H, hey!"

"If it's about your money," the gun-armed man replied, "save it 'til we're back at the hideout." And with that, Barret ran off, leaving Cloud alone in the ruined street.

_Well_, Cloud thought, _I hope I get a good amount of gil for this_.

* * *

><p><em>What's going on?<em> Aerith wondered as she saw a bunch of people running around in different directions. But that wasn't the only case; the roads were filled with rubble and the buildings were burning. Whatever happened here, it was something big. _But sheesh_, the flower girl thought grumpily. _I'm ALWAYS the last one to know what is going on around here_.

When she was thinking to herself, she was knocked down by a group of people running away.

As Aerith stood up, dusting herself, she said, "How _uncivilized_. We have a bunch of _uncivilized_ people running around in an _uncivilized_ manner in this _uncivilized_ sector." As the flower girl giggled at her own strange joke, she stopped as soon as she saw a blonde man calmly walking down the street.

_Looks like he's not in a state of panic_, Aerith thought. _He'll probably know what happened_.

She approached the man and asked, "Excuse me. What happened?" But when the man turned to her, Aerith was shocked. _Those eyes..._ she thought. _They look just like_...

"Uh... Nothing..." Cloud blurted out. Immediately regretting for blurting out a blatant lie, he quickly shook his head and began, "Hey, listen..."

However, no words came out of the man's mouth. The awkward moment of silence filled the air. Both Cloud and Aerith were frantically trying to look for something to say.

Eventually, Cloud was the first to talk. "Uh... Never mind. Gotta go." But the flower girl did not want him to go, not just yet. "What! Tell me!" she cried out. "Uh, actually... uh..."

Another moment of silence came. Cloud was desperately trying to go while Aerith was trying to make him stay. This time, the flower girl was able to break the silence. "Excuse me. Would you... um... Would you like to buy some flowers?" Aerith coyly asked. "They're only one gil."

Cloud thought for a moment and decided, "I'll buy one." He quickly took out a 1-gil from his pocket and held it out to the flower girl.

This made Aerith smile brilliantly. "Oh, thank you!" she exclaimed. She took out a sky-blue flower from her basket and handed it to the blonde man. "Here you are!"

"Um... thanks," Cloud said as he gave one gil to the flower girl and received the flower. After the awkward exchange, the two parted ways and acted as if nothing ever happened.

* * *

><p><em>I better get outta here before the soldiers find me<em>, Cloud thought as he ran through the city square. When he reached a three-way intersection, the SOLDIER spotted two armed men running to him. "Hey! You there!" one of the shouted.

_Crap_, the blonde thought. "Later!" he shouted as he turned back to where he came from, only to see more soldiers coming from that direction. _Looks like I'm surrounded_, Cloud concluded as he stepped back to the railing.

One of the soldiers stepped forward and said, "That's as far as you go."

"I don't have time to be messin' around with you," Cloud said flatly. He took a glimpse below the railing and saw a railroad. He also heard a train beneath them coming nearby.

"Enough babbling!" the armed man shouted. "Grab him!"

As the soldiers lunged for him, Cloud simply jumped from the street and landed on the incoming train underneath.

_ "All too easy," the SOLDIER remarked as the train went into the railway tunnel._ He then realized something and thought, _Wait, did that guy just say, "Grab him" and not "Shoot him"?_

* * *

><p>The AVALANCHE members were gathered in the baggage car of the same train. However, none were too happy about successfully bombing the reactor. They were, on the contrary, looking very despondent.<p>

"Cloud never came," Wedge finally said to the others.

"Cloud..." Biggs thought out loud. "Wonder if he was killed?"

"No way!" Barret yelled back rather unexpectedly.

"Cloud..." Jessie muttered inaudibly, silently hoping that the SOLDIER survived.

They descended into a moment of silence again. At one point, there was a drumming noise on the roof of the train. Everyone glanced up at the noise.

Biggs decided to take this chance and break the quietude. "Say, do you think Cloud's..." he began, "Going to fight to the end for AVALANCHE?"

The gun-armed leader was not too excited about the matter. "The hell would I know? Do I look like a mind reader?" He slammed his fist on a crate next to him. "Hmph! If y'all weren't such screw-ups..."

"Hey, Barret!" Wedge interrupted. "What about our money?"

Barret replied by slamming his fist on the same crate again.

"Uh, nothin' …sorry," the fat man apologized as he grew quiet again.

Few seconds later, the noise on the roof grew louder, making the whole AVALANCHE team members look up. But all of a sudden, the train door opened and a certain blonde man swung in and landed right in front of the team leader.

"Cloud!" all except Cloud and Barret exclaimed.

"Looks like I'm a little late," the SOLDIER covered in soot said as he looked around.

Barret was not amused by this one bit. "You damn right, you're late!" he shouted. "Come waltzin' in here makin' a big scene!"

Cloud simply shrugged at the remark and said, "It's no big deal. Just what I always do."

"Shit!" the gun-armed man cursed. "Havin' everyone worried like that you don't give a damn 'bout no one but yourself!"

"Hmm..." the blonde wondered. "You were worried about me!"

Barret was alarmed by the statement. "Wha!" he exclaimed. "I'm takin' it outta your money, hot stuff!" He then walked to the front of the room and shouted, "Wake up! We're movin' out! Follow me!" With that, he moved on ahead to the next car.

Shortly after that, Wedge said, "Hey, Cloud! You were great back there!" and followed Barret.

"Heh heh... Cloud!" Biggs happily said. "We'll do even better next time." He left the room for the next car afterward.

Jessie walked to the open door and closed it. When she turned to Cloud, she looked at his body and noticed he was completely covered in soot. "Oh, Cloud," she said, "your face is pitch-black." With that said, the brunette rubbed his face with the tip of her glove.

"There you go!" Jessie said as she finished. "Say, thanks for helping me back there at the Reactor!" And the woman soon went into the next car.

_Man_, Cloud thought to himself, _this day just gets stranger and stranger. I wonder if taking this job was a good idea..._ As the SOLDIER contemplated, he followed the rest of the gang to the next car.

* * *

><p><em>Blazes, this place is harder to navigate through than Coruscant<em>, Obi-Wan cursed silently as he trekked through the forest of ruined buildings in the slums. _If it wasn't for the Force guiding me, I would've gotten lost faster than I could say my own name._

As the Jedi allowed the Force to guide him to Aerith, he saw a large group of shady people loitering around in an open space in his path. The knight instantly knew that the people were up to no good. _And I thought Mos Eisley was full of scum and villainy_, he said to himself grimly.

Obi-Wan simply Force-jumped onto the tall building structures around them and slipped past the suspicious group without being noticed. When the Jedi knew he was out of their sight, he descended back onto the path and walked for several more minutes.

Soon, the robed man felt Aerith's presence near him. _What do you know_, he thought. _There she is_.

Obi-Wan spotted the pink-clad woman carrying a basket and walking down the path faraway. The knight called out, "Aerith!" The flower girl, however, continued walking and did not respond.

The Jedi called out again, this time a little louder. Aerith finally noticed Obi-Wan's voice. She looked at him and called back, "Obi!" as she ran to him.

"Well, you are rather _clean_ today," Obi-Wan remarked sarcastically when he saw that the flower girl was partially covered in dust. "What happened to you, anyway?"

Upon hearing the question, Aerith shrugged and replied, "I dunno."

…..._What?_ Obi-Wan did not know what to say. He then quickly rephrased his question. "What I meant to ask is," he started asking, "is how did you get so... dusty?"

Aerith scratched her chin and began, "Well, I was selling flowers. Then I noticed that a pipe in a nearby alley was leaking with Mako. I went into the alley, checked it, and came back out. But then I decided to check it again, so I went back in. Then, all of a sudden... I heard a loud explosion."

Obi-Wan was again at loss for words. "...Okay," he said. "Do you know where the explosion came from?"

The flower girl shook her head and simply said, "Nope."

"...Wow." That was the only thing the Jedi was able to say.

"Oh, fine," Aerith huffed as she put her hands on her hips. "I'm sorry I don't know what happened at the sector. It's just that I'm ALWAYS the last one to actually know what happened."

"It's quite alright," Obi-Wan said. "It's just... surprising, that's all." The robed man mischievously smiled and added, "At least you're the first one to know about the 'Staff Incident'."

"Obi!"

* * *

><p>"Last train out of Sector 8 Station. Last stop is Sector 7, Train Graveyard. Expected time of arrival is 12:23 A.M., Midgar Standard Time," the train conductor said through his microphone.<p>

As the whole AVALANCHE team entered the passenger car, most of the passengers were frightened by their entrance and immediately left.

A Shinra Manager, who was dressed in a red dress suit, started running to the next car muttering, "This is why I hate the last train. Hoo boy..."

As Cloud started walking, he noticed a dirty man lying down on the seats. The bum seemed to notice the SOLDIER's gaze, for he said to the blonde, "This is my house, so make yourselves at home."

_That's awfully generous of you, vagabond_, Cloud silently said as he smirked.

As the SOLDIER walked on, he noticed a peculiar headline on the front page of the newspaper a bald man was reading. The man, who saw Cloud looking at his newspaper, said to the SOLDIER, "You see the headlines in the Shinra Times? The terrorists that bombed the No. 1 Reactor have their base somewhere in the slums." The man shook his head and continued, "Blowing up a Reactor... They sure put some thought into this one. They must have a real calculating leader. I wonder what they'll do next?"

_"Calculating" is not the greatest word to describe Barret_, Cloud thought. "They are a very enigmatic group if you ask me. All we have are speculations."

"Indeed," the bald man agreed and went back to reading the newspaper.

At this point, Barret was annoyed by Cloud's walking-and-talking-to-any-people-he-encounters and shouted at him, "Stop actin' like a damn kid or just si'down an' shu'up!"

_No_, Cloud thought as he walked past the gun-armed man, acting as if he ignored what his employer said. Barret tried to shout something else, but knowing that Cloud would continue to ignore him, he decided not to.

"Oh hey, Cloud," Biggs said when he saw the SOLDIER pass by. "It seems this train hasn't switched to security mode yet. I'm sure that will change by tomorrow." The man-in-green then took off his red bandana and yawned. "Well, that sure took its toll on me. I'm gonna sleep till we get to the station." Biggs immediately fell asleep.

The next one to talk to Cloud was Wedge. "Someday, AVALANCHE's gonna be famous!" He then quickly added, "And me, too!" Wedge then scratched his chin in thought. When the SOLDIER was about to leave, the AVALANCHE member finally said, "Cloud! Don't ya think I got a bright future ahead of me?"

Cloud simply asked, "What do you have in mind?"

"All my life, I felt like nothing but a sidekick," Wedge replied as he looked down earnestly. "But after joining AVALANCHE and trying to save the Planet, I feel like I can do lots of things!"

After his talk with Wedge, the blonde man went to Jessie.

"Hey, Cloud," the brunette woman said. She then pointed at a small mechanical screen next to her on a wall and asked, "You want to look at this with me?"

"Sure," the SOLDIER replied as he stood next to Jessie and looked at the device. _Oh, this_, Cloud thought as he recognized what the device was, _It's a-_

"It's a map of the Midgar Rail Sysytem," Jessie interrupted Cloud's train of thought. "Let's look at it together. I'll explain it to you." As Jessie explained about the digital map, Cloud, who already knew all about the device, thought to himself, _What a day. I'm good with blowing things up for money, but today was just strange, from that weird robed guy with a metal flashlight or whatever talking to me to getting on this train._ Cloud continued to think as he occasionally said some "Oh"s, "Ah"s, and "Cool"s to Jessie, who continued to talk.

But all of sudden, a red light started flashing. "Speak of the devil," Jessie said. "That light means that we're in the ID Security Check area." She then leaned closer to the SOLDIER and whispered, "When the lights go off, you never know what kind of creeps will come out." She then said with her tone, "Anyhow, we're almost back now. That's a relief."

When the red light stopped flashing, Wedge moaned and said, "I'm seein' stars. This sucks. I hate the dark."

Jessie's eyes suddenly lit up and said to Cloud eagerly, "I know! Next time, I'll give you one ID card I made myself!"

"Looking forward to it," Cloud replied with a nod.

"Okay!" Jessie said enthusiastically. "Then I'll put a little extra effort in it and make it with a BANG."

As the train went on, Barret looked out the window from his seat and said to the SOLDIER, "Look, you can see the surface now. This city don't have no day or night." The gun-armed man then sedately looked at the "ceiling" of the slums. "If that plate weren't there," he began again, "we could see the sky."

Cloud walked to the window Barret was looking through. "A floating city..." the SOLDIER said softly. "Pretty unsettling scenery."

"Huh? Never expect ta hear that outta someone like you," The AVALANCHE leader said as he got up from his seat. "...You jes' full of surprises." The gun-armed man then continued, "The upper world... a city on a plate... It's 'cuz of that damn 'pizza' that people underneath are sufferin'! And the city below is full of polluted air. On topa that, the Reactor keeps drainin' up all the energy.

"Then why doesn't everyone move onto the Plate?" the blonde SOLDIER asked out of his curiosity.

Barret shrugged. "Dunno," he said. "Probably 'cuz they ain't got no money. Or, maybe... 'cuz they love their land, no matter how polluted it gets."

Cloud then turned to the window again. "I know... No one lives in the slums because they want to," he quietly said. "It's like this train. It can't run anywhere except where its rails take it."

* * *

><p>Aerith and Obi-Wan traversed through the maze of the slum, with the flower girl leading the way and the robed man following. The Jedi thought it was amazing how the flower girl knew nearly every part of the complicated place.<p>

"So," Obi-Wan began, "how did the flower business go?"

"Oh, it was great!" Aerith happily replied. "Although, it was kinda unusual. I never sold this many. I made nearly a hundred gil!"

"That's an impressive number. Weren't you running out of flowers, though?"

"Yeah, kinda. But hopefully, business will be this good tomorrow!"

"Hmm... Don't you think you should get a day off?

"A day off?"

"Yes. You should reward yourself with a day off, at least."

As Aerith skipped across some holes in the ground, she said, "You have a point. I _do_ deserve a little break after a great day. Not to mention, something strange happened back at the Plate anyway, so... a day off it is!"

"Well, I'm glad for you," Obi-Wan said with a smile.

While the two were walking through the forest of ramshackle buildings, the flower girl remembered her meeting with the blonde SOLDIER and how it reminded her of... him. So she began, "Hey Obi."

"What is it?" the Jedi asked.

"Have you loved someone?"

Obi-Wan shrugged and said, "Well, of course I have. I love my family and-"

"No, Obi," Aerith interrupted, smiling. "Have you ever loved a _woman_?

The Jedi froze at the question. The brunette, noticing that the auburn-haired man had stopped walking, turned to face him.

"Er... I," Obi-Wan stuttered as he blushed. Words began to clump in his throat as a mental image of a certain Mandalorian duchess formed in his head.

"Oh!" Aerith exclaimed as she clapped her hands together. "So you _do_ love someone, huh?"

"I...did," the Jedi finally admitted.

"Oh wow!" the flower girl said. "Well, I guess it would make sense for a handsome man you to- Wait. You _did_? Not _do_?"

"Please excuse me for this," Obi-Wan sadly said, "but I'd rather drop that subject."

"...I'm sorry," Aerith apologized as she lowered her head.

"No, it's quite alright."

The duo continued to venture through the slums. They squeezed through the space between structures, hopped across narrow gaps between ramshackle buildings, and carefully trod upon mountains of rubble.

When the two were on normal ground again, Obi-Wan saw a long metal staff hanging on Aerith's back. "Huh. I never noticed that you had another staff, Aerith," the Jedi said.

"Oh, you mean this?" Aerith replied as she pointed at the staff on her back. "You wouldn't believe it, but I found it lying in a dumpster back at the Plate. I think it's tougher than my last staff."

"...A dumpster, hmm?" Obi-Wan said as he scratched his chin.

"Oh, don't worry, it's not THAT dirty," the flower girl reassured. "It was kind of separated from the rest of the garbage when I found it. And besides, it was in a RECYCLING dumpster."

The Jedi remained speechless for a few seconds. He then asked questioningly, "So, that makes the garbage in that dumpster cleaner than the rest of the garbage?"

"Well, kinda, except, uh... the junk is a lot KINDA cleaner, you know?" the flower girl answered as she stuttered. "You know... the... because there are stuff like... um... raw materials... instead of stuff like... the... um... food trash in that dumpster... you know?" After she finished droning, Aerith forced a grin and added, "Right?"

Obi-Wan only shook his head. "You are forgetting the fact that," he began, "that staff was in a barely-cleaned whatever-year-old dumpster that was collecting not only rubbish made of 'raw material', but also culinary objects, old towels that were used by a countless amount of people, toilet papers that fulfilled their purpose, barf bags that carry undigested materials, diapers that were replaced, and much, MUCH more."

After hearing the story, Aerith's face became rather deathly pale. The brunette's whole body stiffened as her face remained ashen; at this point Obi-Wan became concerned. "Um, Aerith," he called out, "Are you okay?"

For several seconds, the flower girl remained this way. But at last, color began to replace the paleness of her face, except that color was green. And all too suddenly, she was released from her paralysis. "EW! SICK! YUK! BLEH! DISGUSTING! ARGH! GROSS! NO! NO! NO! NO! EW! GETITOFFGETITOFFGETITOFF!" Aerith shrieked as she tried to reach for the staff that was still on her back.

Obi-Wan did not bother to stifle his laughter. To him, it was just a comedic scene. "Oh, Aerith..." he said as he laughed.

After several desperate attempts, the brunette was able to take the staff off of her back and she hurled it away. "That thing was on my back for hours now!" Aerith blurted. "I need to wash myself right now! C'mon, Obi! We need to hurry!" She then started running with Obi-Wan, who was now stifling his laughter, following behind.

* * *

><p>After a while, the train pulled into the Sector 7 station beneath the Plate. The station guard opened the passengers' door and the people started to come out one by one. The last ones to come out were the AVALANCHE members.<p>

After everyone disembarked, Barret shouted, "Yo! Get over here, all'ya!" The members grouped around their leader near the platform.

"This mission was a success," he announced. "But don't get lazy now. The hard part's still to come! Don't y'all be scared of that explosion! Cause the next one's gonna be bigger than that! Meet back at the hideout! Move out!" With that said, everyone bolted from the spot and rushed to the town square.

Barret, Biggs, Jessie, and Wedge, who were the first ones to reach their hideout, which was located in the bar, charged into the building and chased every customers out. While the frightened customers ran away for their dear life, Tifa ran out after them and bowed apologetically. When all the terrorists went in, Barret remained outside and waited for Cloud to catch up.

When the blonde SOLDIER came, Barret said with a smirk, "Heh heh... You wanna meet your little baby?"

Cloud, however, did not understand the comment and asked with frown, "'Little baby'?"

"Hey! Don' act like you don't know what I mean!" the gun-armed man shouted. "I'm tellin' you." The two then went into the bar.

When Cloud came in first, a little brunette girl in a pink dress shouted, "Papa!" But when she saw the SOLDIER, the girl ran away and hid in the corner.

Tifa walked to the girl. "Marlene!" she said, "Aren't you going to say anything to Cloud?" The bar owner then went to the SOLDIER with Marlene hiding behind her. "Welcome home, Cloud. Looks like everything went well." Tifa then paused for a second and asked with a worried look. "Did you fight with Barret?"

"Not this time," Cloud answered with a shrug.

At this, Tifa thought to herself and said with a smile, "Hmm. You've grown up. When you were little, you used to get into fights at the drop of a hat."

_Eh, I still do, to be honest,_ Cloud thought as he scratched his head.

The bar owner then noticed a blue flower sticking out of the SOLDIER's right glove. "Flowers? How nice," she said. "You almost never see them here in the slums."

_Oh yeah, the flower_, Cloud thought as he took the flower from his glove.

Tifa started to think of something. "But..." she droned. But then something struck the bar owner and she said, "A flower for me? Oh Cloud, you shouldn't have..."

_Oh, she thinks that I bought a flower for her_, Cloud realized. _I guess it wouldn't hurt_. "No big," he said as he gave the flower to Tifa.

"Thank you, Cloud," she said. "It smells wonderful. Maybe I should fill the store with flowers." With the flower in her hand, Tifa walked away with the flower in her hand.

At the other side of the room, Biggs, Wedge, and Jessie were sitting around the table, drinking, eating, and chatting merrily. "Aahh! Nothin' like that first drink after a job..." the man-in-green said. He then turned to Cloud and said, "Hey Cloud, why don't you have one, too?"

When the SOLDIER tried to answer, Barret came charging into the bar, causing Cloud to jump out of the way. Marlene happily greeted him, "Papa, welcome home!" Barret laughed as he lifted her up onto his shoulder.

"You all right, Barret?" Tifa asked.

"Great!" the gun-armed man happily replied. "Get in here, fools! We're startin' the meetin'!" He went to the pinball machine and pressed several buttons. Then, the platform beneath the machine started to descend. Biggs, Jessie, and Wedge got up from their seats and jumped into the hole. The people remaining in the room were only Cloud and Tifa.

"Sit down," Tifa said behind the bar.

Cloud sat.

"How about... something to drink?" she asked.

"I don't feel like it," the SOLDIER blurted out.

"Ooohh-! I can make a drink just as good as anyone else," Tifa said as she pointed at Cloud. "Everyone says my drinks taste the best!" She then poured a liquor into a glass cup and handed it to the blonde.

"All right, fine," the SOLDIER murmured as he took a gulp from his cup.

"You know," Tifa began, "I'm relieved you made it back safely."

"What's with you all of a sudden?" Cloud asked with a hint of annoyance. "That wasn't even a tough job."

"I guess not. You were in SOLDIER. Make sure you get your pay from Barret."

"Don't worry," Cloud replied after another gulp. "Once I get that money, I'm outta here."

As the SOLDIER got up, Tifa asked, "Are you feeling all right?"

"...Yeah... Why?" Cloud replied.

"No reason. You just look a little tired, I guess. You'd better go down below."

When their little discussion came to an end, Cloud stood up and went to the pinball machine. As soon as the SOLDIER pressed the right combination, the platform began to descend into a secret room. In the room, Barret was punching a punching bag in the corner, Biggs and Wedge were sitting at the table, chatting, Jessie was working at her computer, and Marlene was sitting on top of the boxes near Barret.

The large television in the room showed the president of Shinra Inc. in the middle of his speech. It also showed the explosion of the Mako Reactor, which made Jessie proud.

"Hey, look at the news," she said as the television showed a tremendous explosion, "What a blast. Think it was all because of my bomb? Makes me kinda proud."

As Cloud was watching the television with Jessie, Barret called the SOLDIER. "Yo Cloud!" he called. "There's somethin' I wanna ask ya. Was there anyone from SOLDIER fighting us today?"

Cloud shook his head. "None. I'm positive."

"You sound pretty sure," Barret said as he scratched his chin with his good hand.

"If there was anyone from SOLDIER, you wouldn't be standing here now," Cloud pointed out.

The AVALANCHE leader was enraged by his insolent comment. "Don't you go thinkin' you so bad jes cuz you was in SOLDIER!" he shouted.

Barret tried to attack Cloud, but everyone was trying to tell him to stop. Biggs immediately got up from his seat and tried to hold him back. But the smaller man's efforts were unfruitful; the gun-armed man threw Biggs off with no difficulty, slamming him against the wall in the process. This silenced everyone in the room.

"Yeah, you're strong," Barret finally said, breaking the uncomfortable silence. "Probably all them guys in SOLDIER are. But don't forget that your skinny ass's workin' for AVALANCHE now! Don't get no ideas 'bout hangin' on to Shinra!"

"'Hanging on to Shinra'?" said Cloud, who was beginning to get angry. "You asked me a question and I answered it. That's all." He then walked up to Barret and said with a low voice, "I'm going upstairs. I want to talk about my _money_."

"Shucks! Money..." Barret murmured under his breath.

As Cloud tried to go upstairs, Tifa, who descended into the room during the argument, ran to him. "Wait, Cloud!"

"Tifa, let him go!" the AVALANCHE leader shouted. "Looks like he still misses the Shinra!"

"Shut up!" Cloud shouted at Barret. "I don't care about either Shinra or SOLDIER!" As he walked away, he added, "But don't get me wrong! I don't care about AVALANCHE or the Planet for that matter!" He then went to the platform with the pinball machine and ascended back to the bar.

"We gotta stop him!" Tifa said as she waited for the descending pinball machine.

"Ugh...Before that, can any one of you help me up?" Biggs said as he was lying on the floor. Tifa, however, ignored the man's plea and went onto the ascending platform. "...Please?" he added.

As Cloud was heading for the door, Tifa came after him and said desperately, "Listen, Cloud. I'm asking you. Please join us."

Cloud, who was still facing the door, simply said, "Sorry, Tifa."

"The Planet is dying," the bar hostess tried to reason. "Slowly but surely its dying. Someone has to do something."

The SOLDIER finally faced her and said, "So let Barret and his buddies do something about it. It's got nothing to do with me."

"So! You're really leaving?" Tifa said, feeling bitter. "You're just going to walk right out ignoring your childhood friend?"

"What...?" muttered Cloud, taken aback. "How can you say that!"

"You forgot the promise, too," the woman added.

"Promise?" the SOLDIER wondered.

Realizing that her friend was not able to remember the promise, Tifa said with her head hanging low, "So you DID forget." She then went closer to Cloud. "Remember... Cloud. It was seven years ago... Near the well. Do you remember?"

After much pondering, Cloud was able to remember, his memories becoming clear. "Yeah..." he finally answered. "Back then, I thought you would never come, and I was getting a little cold."

"...You were leaving our town for Midgar."

"...I wanted to join SOLDIER."

"I asked if you'll be in newspaper if you do well," Tifa added as she gave a light chuckled.

"Well, I said I was going to try," said Cloud, making a small smile.

"...Then we made a promise. If you get famous and I'm ever in a bind..."

"I would come to save you..."

"You remember now, don't you?" Tifa asked with hope. "Our promise?"

However, Cloud only shook his head. "I'm not a hero and I'm not famous," he said. "I can't keep... the promise."

"But you got your childhood dream, didn't you?" the bar hostess asked with a smile. "You joined SOLDIER. So come on! You've got to keep your promise."

For a split second, there was a tint of regret on Cloud's face. "Tifa..." he began, "to be honest..."

But at that moment, Barret came climbing up the pipes through the secret passageway and ran to the SOLDIER. "Wait a sec big-time SOLDIER!" he interrupted. "A promise is a promise! Here!" With that, the gun-armed man handed a crumpled ball of bills. They all added up to a grand total of 1500 gil.

"This is my pay?" he asked incredulously, immediately returning to his stoic expression. "Don't make me laugh."

"What?" Tifa exclaimed, happiness overwhelming her. "They you'll...!"

"You got the next mission lined up?" Cloud asked. "I'll do it for... 3000."

"What...?" Barret exclaimed, exasperation overwhelming him.

The bar hostess calmed the gun-armed man down by patting him on the back and saying, "It's okay, it's okay." She then whispered to him, "We're really hurting for help, right?"

Barret whispered back, "That money's for Marlene's schoolin'..." Eventually, he made up his mind and shouted, "2000!"

"Thanks, Cloud," Tifa said quietly.

_I hope I made the right choice_, Cloud thought, almost regretfully.

* * *

><p>With her knowledge of the locations of some shortcuts, Aerith was able to reach her house with Obi-Wan. The flower girl rushed inside and shouted, "Hi mom! Sorry, but I gotta wash myself right-"<p>

She wasn't able to finish her statement, because Elmyra ran to her and hugged her tightly. "Oh Aerith!" she exclaimed in tears. "Thank Gaia you're safe!"

"Whaa-? Why are you crying, mom?" Aerith asked.

At that moment, Obi-Wan calmly walked in the house and said, "She probably thought that you died in the reactor's explosion."

"Oh, Mr. Kenobi!" Miss Gainsborough said. "How can I ever thank you?"

"Hang on!" Aerith shouted. "A Mako Reactor EXPLODED?"

"To be honest, I didn't do anything, Miss Gainsborough," Obi-Wan said to Elmyra, ignoring the flower girl's exclamation. "Your daughter seemed to have survived on her own."

"How did it EXPLODE?" Aerith continued to shout as she grabbed her hair. "All that rumbling... It was an EXPLOSION?"

Elmyra, after stifling her tears, turned to her daughter and said incredulously, "Wait a minute... You _didn't know_?"

"I was in a back alley. I wasn't able to know what was happening from there," Aerith reasoned. She then noticed something and turned to the Jedi. "Hang on," she said. "I thought you didn't know what happened. How did you know all of a sudden?"

"While we were running," Obi-Wan explained, "I heard several people sharing news about a "reactor being blown up by AVALANCHE."

"Great. Just great," the flower girl huffed. "I am the LAST person to know what's going on once again."

"Forget about that for now, Aerith," Elmyra consoled. "More importantly, are you hurt?"

"Nope," Aerith replied with a smile returning to her. "As I said before, I was in a back alley while all that happened."

"It was a rough day, today," Obi-Wan said. "Aerith, why don't you take a warm shower and clean yourself? You must be dirty from _all that junk_."

The flower girl exclaimed, "Oh yeah! Mom, I'll be back after a quick shower. Be right back!" With that said, she began to run upstairs.

"You can take your time, Aerith!" Elmyra said. "You must be really tired from all that event." She then turned to Obi-Wan and asked, "Truly, how can I ever thank you?"

"As I said before, I deserve no thanking," the Jedi said with honesty. "I merely walked into her when-"

"EEEEEEEEEEYYYYAAA!" A shrill shriek filled the whole house, surprising both Obi-Wan and Elmyra. A second later, Aerith came running down the stairs, looking very pale.

"Wow, you look like you just saw a ghost," the robed man commented.

"F-follow me!" the frightened flower girl stammered. All three ran up the stairs. That was when they saw a hideous, watermelon-sized, gray, hairy object sitting in the middle of the hallway.

"W-w-what IS that?" Aerith asked.

"Oh, that," Obi-Wan said. "That is a dust ball."

"A DUST ball?" the flower girl said. "It's not any ordinary dust ball. It's huge! Not only that, but there are SPIDERS in there!"

Elmyra, however, noticed something and she began to look at Obi-Wan with a glance of suspicion. "Mr. Kenobi," she said.

"Yes?"

"You _did_ say that you were going to clean up the house."

"Oh, yes."

"...That ball is _your_ work, isn't it?"

"That it is. I seemed to have forgotten to chuck it away after I completed my work."

Aerith was not amused by Obi-Wan's work of art. "Well, please take it away. That thing looks hideous!"

About an hour passed since Aerith's and Obi-Wan's arrival. The Jedi threw away the dust ball somewhere in the slums, Aerith took a shower and changed her clothes to a pink long sleeve shirt and gray pants (her clothes were washed and were hanged near the flower girl's room window), and Elmyra was preparing dinner with what she had.

After throwing away the dust ball, Obi-Wan returned to the house. When he saw Aerith, who was watching television, the Jedi was a little surprised to see her without her hair braided, pink ribbon, and all of her usual attires. "You certainly look different," he said to her.

Aerith turned to him and said, "You think so? Well, what happened to the dust ball, anyway?"

"The dust ball is no more," Obi-Wan reassured as he smiled. "After I threw it away, I stamped on it and blasted it into oblivion."

When the Jedi said "blasted it into oblivion", the flower girl giggled.

"What's is it?" the Jedi asked.

"Oh, nothing," Aerith said. "I just like it how you _blasted it into oblivion_," she said with Obi-Wan's accent.

The robed man raised his eyebrow. "Is that supposed to be how I talk?"

"Yup," the flower girl said with a nod. "Here, can you give me your robe for a second?"

"Alright, sure," Obi-Wan complied. He took off his robe and handed them to Aerith, who immediately wore it.

"I stamped on it and _blasted it into oblivion_," Aerith said with the Jedi's accent.

"Oh, please," the auburn-haired man said as he rolled his eyes. "That is not how I talk."

"That is _not_ how I _talk_," Aerith mimicked with the accent, suppressing a laughter.

"Oh, blazes," Obi-Wan said as he shook his head.

"Oh,_ blazes_," the flower girl mimicked again.

"So, now you're copying what I'm saying?" the Jedi asked.

"Nope," Aerith answered. "I just like how you talk... Wow, this robe is surprisingly comfortable. Did you make it yourself?"

"Yes, I did," the Jedi answered with a smile. "Quite impressive, isn't it?"

"_Quite impressive_, isn't it?" the brunette mimicked with the accent as she pulled the hood over her head.

With the shake of his head, Obi-Wan said, "Your mimicry of my accent is not very impressive, so far."

"Are you serious?" Aerith answered with a fake shocked look. She then made a stern expression and scolded, "How _uncivilized_!"

With that said, Aerith burst into laughter, while Obi-Wan only shook his head. When the flower girl stopped laughing, she asked the auburn-haired man, "Well, what do you think of my fake accent?"

Obi-Wan then smiled and said, "Alright, that was impressive."

"Hah!" Aerith raised her fists into the air in triumph. "I knew my voice manipulating skills were great!"

The Jedi only chuckled at the comment. After he stopped, the flower girl seemed to notice something.

"Hey, Obi," she began.

"Yes, Aerith?"

"What is that metal cylinder thing on your belt?"

When Aerith asked the question, Obi-Wan noticed that his lightsaber was hanging on his belt, unconcealed by his robe which Aerith was currently wearing.

_Oh, blazes_, the Jedi thought.


	4. The Revelation

"_**But, as you well know, appearances can be deceiving, which brings me back to the reason why we're here."**_

**FORGE THE PATH**

**Chapter IV: The Revelation**

"May I see that metal thingy?" Aerith, who was still in the Jedi's cloak, asked with curiosity.

_Not good_, Obi-Wan thought as he focused on manipulating the flower girl's mind. He slowly waved his right hand and said, "You did not see my metal cylinder."

Aerith, however, looked insulted. "Oh, you're going to try and convince me that I did not see that?" she asked in annoyance. "I'm not THAT much of an airhead, you know."

_Oh no, her mind is lot stronger than I have anticipated_, the Jedi thought in defeat. _Blazes._ He looked at his lightsaber hanging on his belt, then at the annoyed Aerith. _I hope this won't be something I'll regret_.

The auburn-haired man took a deep breath and asked, "Aerith?"

"Yes?" said Aerith, her annoyance dissipating.

"Who do you think I am?"

"You're Obi-Wan Ken-oh-bee," the flower girl said slowly to match the name.

"Yes, but who do you think I am?"

"Well," Aerith said as she thoughtfully tapped her chin. "You said that you were a caveman..."

The knight nodded. _She noticed something strange_, the Jedi thought._ Clever girl._

"But I know you're not just a caveman," the flower girl stated seriously. "You are... a mountain hermit."

_...What?_ "What?" Obi-Wan said as he raised his eyebrow.

"A mountain hermit!" Aerith declared more loudly. "Your strange persuasion skills, that strange cloak... That metal thingy is your flashlight, so that you can use it when it gets dark! And most importantly, you have a beard."

The whole room went silent. At that moment, Elmyra rushed in from the kitchen and asked, "Is anything wrong?"

_...Oh blazes_. "No, nothing is wrong," the Jedi Knight stated calmly. _Perhaps Miss Gainsborough should know the truth, as well._

The auburn-haired man took a deep breath and said quietly, "Aerith, Miss Gainsborough. I have something important to tell both of you. Perhaps we should take a seat."

The three sat at the dining table. Aerith pulled down her hood and asked, "I'm wrong, huh?"

_The moment of truth_, Obi-Wan thought. "I am... not from this planet," he finally admitted.

Both the flower girl and her mother stared incredulously at the auburn-haired man. Elmyra only chuckled and said, "Mr. Kenobi, that is... quite a joke you made up."

Obi-Wan only chuckled lightly and said, "I'm not lying, Miss Gainsborough."

The room went silent again.

"I am a Jedi Knight," Obi-Wan began, "the keeper of peace and the maintainer of order within the Galactic Republic... Or at least, was."

The knight slowly stood up. "This 'metal thingy' you mentioned of, Aerith, is a lightsaber." To the women's surprise, the metal cylinder that rested on Obi-Wan's belt floated to the auburn-haired man's right hand. What surprised them more was that a bright, blue laser emitted from the tip of the cylinder.

"A lightsaber was the formal weapon of a Jedi Knight," Obi-Wan continued as he lightly and carefully waved his blue lightsaber around. The Jedi then deactivated his lightsaber and placed it back onto his belt.

"So..." Elmyra began nervously. "You're an alien?"

"To your definition, I would be," Obi-Wan admitted. "However, I am still your same species."

Aerith, however, seemed excited by this and asked, "How did you get here? To this planet I mean."

The auburn-haired man only shrugged and said, "I would like to figure out an answer to that question."

"You mean, you don't know how you got here?" the flower girl asked.

"You see, I was supposed to be dead," Obi-Wan replied as he scratched his chin.

"Why do you think so?" Elmyra asked, who was now incredibly curious.

"My story might be a little boring," the Jedi warned as he sat at his seat. "I'm not a great raconteur.

"As I said before, I was a Jedi Knight. The Galactic Republic was in a big war with the Separatists, people who wanted to get rid of the republic. My apprentice, Darth Vader, betrayed me and destroyed the Republic and the Jedi Council. Council fell along with the republic, and all the Jedi were either killed or scattered across the whole galaxy. I'm one of the runaway Jedi Knights. Out of the ashes, the Galactic Empire was born. I hid from the empire and lived as a caveman on a remote desert planet called Tatooine for nineteen years. There, I looked after my dearest friend's son, Luke Skywalker, who was destined to bring peace back to the galaxy. Eventually, I hired a smuggler to take us to another planet for the rebellion against the empire. But, when we got to our destination, there was only a smoldering field of asteroids; the planet was destroyed. We were spotted by the nearby planet-destroying moon-shaped space station and our ship was sucked into it. We got off the ship and onto the space station. I wandered into the power station and deactivated its power so that we can escape the station. While I was heading back to our ship, I encountered my old apprentice, Darth Vader. We dueled with our lightsabers. In the end, however, I was slain."

At the end of the story, the flower girl nodded thoughtfully. Elmyra, however, noticed something strange. "Wait a minute," she said. "You were _slain_? How are you alive, then?"

"Once again, that is the question I would like an answer to," Obi-Wan said calmly. "When I woke up, I was in a grassy field. I became a lot younger, too. It turned out that I woke up near a small town called Kalm."

"Kalm?" the middle-aged woman repeated thoughtfully. "That is quite far away from here."

"Oh, I forgot to mention," the Jedi Knight murmured. "We Jedi Knights use a metaphysical power called the 'Force'.

"Simply put, it allows us exceed our limits and perform unnatural tasks. For instance, I could run incredibly fast, which is how I got to Midgar rather quickly.

"I could also lift objects into the air without touching them," Obi-Wan said as he used the Force to lift the television, the flower vase, and Aerith into the air.

"Woah!" the flower girl said excitedly. Elmyra, although worried about her daughter's safety, knew that Obi-Wan was not trying to hurt her daughter. She walked back into the kitchen.

"That is how I got to Midgar so quickly," Obi-Wan said as he set everything and Aerith down.

"So, in the end, you really were a caveman, huh?" Aerith asked.

"That's correct," the knight said.

"Cool," the flower girl said. She then asked, "May I see your lightsa-"

"No," Obi-Wan interrupted. "That I will never allow."

"Oh, fine," the brunette huffed. She then took the cloak off and returned it to the auburn-haired man. "How strong is that lightsaber, anyway?"

"It can cut through your skin easily," Obi-Wan replied.

"Oh..." Aerith murmured as she paled.

Elmyra came out with a large tray of food. "Dinner's ready!" she said as she set the tray on the table. The dinner consisted of cooked ham, vegetables, and eggs.

"I hope you don't mind leftovers," the middle-aged woman said.

"I don't mind at all," Obi-Wan replied happily.

Several hours passed after the dinner. Elmyra retreated back to her room. _Strange_, Obi-Wan thought. _She's taking in my story rather well_. Aerith remained at her seat watching television, although she was incredibly bored. The Jedi Knight stayed at his seat, carefully studying his lightsaber.

"Wow, this show is boring," Aerith complained as she scratched her head.

"I recommend changing the channel," Obi-Wan calmly said as he continued to look at his lightsaber.

"Everything else is even more boring."

"Then why don't you read a book?"

"I read every books in this house."

"Really, now?" the auburn-haired man asked as he finally turned to the flower girl. "Care to tell me about one of the stories you read?"

"Nope," the brunette said as she shook her head. "I forgot most of them."

"...Oh," Obi-Wan mumbled as he turned back to his lightsaber.

Several minutes of boredom passed. Then finally, the light bulb in the flower girl's head lit up. "Hey! I got an idea!" she exclaimed.

"For the fifth time, I'm not letting you play with my lightsaber," the Jedi said stoically.

"I wasn't asking if I can _play_ with it," Aerith corrected as she pointed at the knight. "I was asking if I can _try it out_. There is a big difference. Sheesh. You make me look like a child. And besides, that wasn't my idea." The flower girl turned her chair a bit to face the Jedi Knight. "You said you were in a big war."

"I was," Obi-Wan said as he nodded. He placed his lightsaber on the table and said, "I was a general, in fact."

"A _general_?" Aerith's jaw dropped, then she chuckled. "Oh please. I may be gullible, but I'm not THAT gullible."

"It's true," the Jedi said and smiled. "In fact, all Jedi Knights were considered as generals during the Clone Wars."

"The 'Clone Wars'?" the flower girl asked as she scratched her head.

"That's the name of the big war," Obi-Wan explained. "The Separatists' army consisted of robots called 'droids'. Our army consisted of clones."

"Robots? Clones? Oh wow!" Aerith exclaimed, her green eyes sparkling with excitement. "Did you guys fight... in space?"

"We had many battles in space and different planets."

"That sounds cool..." the brunette thought out loud. She then scratched her head and said, "But... that's... kinda..."

"Is it hard to believe?"

"...Yeah..."

Obi-Wan thought of an idea that could help the doubting girl believe his story. _I have not tried this out for a _long_ time_, the Jedi thought, _but I might be able to pull it off_.

"Perhaps I can show you," the auburn-haired man said with a mysterious smile.

"_Show_ me?" the flower girl murmured. "You have a recording or something?"

"No," Obi-Wan stated. "I have my mind. Would you like to see my memories?"

_...Kinda creepy_, Aerith thought. She, however, decided to try. "I would like to," she finally decided.

"Alright, then grab my hands," the Jedi said as he offered his hands.

..._I have a bad feeling about this_, the flower girl hesitated. But she ignored the thought and grabbed the auburn-haired man's hands.

"You probably want to close your eyes," Obi-Wan quickly added.

"Wha-" Aerith stuttered. But she wasn't able to complete her sentence, for a sharp tingling feeling traveled across her whole body, causing her to squeeze her eyes shut.

* * *

><p><em>…<em>

_ …_

_ ...I knew it_, Aerith thought._ This was a bad idea._

…

"Aerith?" Obi-Wan called.

"Y-yes?" she stammered.

"Open your eyes."

The flower girl obeyed. She was immediately shocked because they weren't in her home anymore. They were in a circular room with large windows. Everything was tinted orange due to the sunset outside.

Aerith and Obi-Wan stood in the room, but they weren't alone. Two other men in brown robes stood by the window while a small green creature with two large ears sat on a round seat.

"W-where are..." the startled flower girl muttered.

"This is a piece of my memories," the Jedi said as he smiled. "We are currently in one of the spires of the Jedi Council. Go ahead and take a look around."

Aerith slowly took a step towards the glass window. She looked outside and saw fields and fields of buildings below along with flying cars.

"So, you used to live in here?" the astounded brunette asked. "Before you started to live in a cave, I mean."

"You could say that," Obi-Wan answered as he walked to the window. "A wondrous yet dangerous place, this Coruscant."

"So, this city's name is Croissant?" Aerith asked as she raised an eyebrow.

"No, Coruscant," the auburn-haired man corrected slowly. "And the whole planet was one huge city."

"What?" the flower girl exclaimed. "This is one huge city!"

Obi-Wan nodded in response.

While Aerith was looking out the window, she was able to hear Obi-Wan saying something to another man, something about "Count Dooku" and "the Senate". She turned to the auburn-haired man next to her and asked, "Sorry, were you saying something?"

Obi-Wan raised his eyebrow, but he seemed to realize something and said, "No. That would be one of those men over there."

_Oh yeah, those three guys_, Aerith thought as she turned around to see the two chatting men. But something about one of the men seemed familiar to the flower girl. Then, realization struck her. "Hey!" she exclaimed as she pointed at the man with long hair. "That man with long hair is you, Obi!"

"That is correct," the Jedi nodded.

"Nice hair."

"Thanks."

Aerith then saw the other man and the green creature. "Who are those guys?" she asked.

"The tall man is Mace Windu, one of the most powerful Jedi that has ever existed," Obi-Wan explained. "The short one is Yoda, the Grand Master of the Jedi Council."

"'Grand Master'?" the surprised brunette wondered out loud. "Wow! Size doesn't matter after all."

"That is what Master Yoda would say usually," the auburn-haired man commented.

Aerith sat on the clean floor and observed the three memory-people talking. She didn't get anything they were talking about but she was still fascinated. She was fascinated by everything in the current piece of memory: the flying cars, the planetary city, and the council. Suddenly, Obi-Wan, who was at another side of the window, called out, "Aerith."

"What is it?" Aerith asked.

"Come here and take a look."

The flower girl quickly got up and ran to the auburn-haired man. She looked outside and was surprised at the scene.

From far away, the brunette was able to see groups of gigantic triangular ships rising to the sky.

"Those are Star Destroyers," Obi-Wan explained. "They were the Republic's finest ships."

"Are they heading to space?" Aerith asked incredulously.

"Correct."

"That's a lot of spaceships," the flower girl murmured as she observed hundreds of Star Destroyers leaving the planet.

Several minutes later, Obi-Wan tapped his head several times and said, "Well, that's enough sightseeing for today. Are you ready to head back to reality?"

"Hang on, Obi," Aerith said as she continued to watch the Star Destroyers. "Just in a few minutes."

"Aerith, we were here for half an hour now," the knight reasoned. "I'll show you more tomorrow."

The flower girl turned to Obi-Wan, then to the window. She finally said in defeat, "Alright, but I really want to see more tomorrow."

"You have my word," the Jedi said as he smiled. "Now, close your eyes and we'll be back at your house."

Aerith shut her eyes and a tingling feeling shot through her whole body.

* * *

><p>The two were back at where they were. Obi-Wan released Aerith's hands and stood up. "I don't know about you, but I feel tired after all of that memory-traveling."<p>

"Mm," Aerith mumbled. In truth, she was not tired. She was rather excited about what she saw. The thing that excited her the most was that what she saw was only a miniscule piece of the Jedi's memories. A whole new world was to be slowly revealed to her.

"You're still in trance mode after our little trip, are you?" the knight chuckled.

"Uh huh," the flower girl muttered happily.

"Well, I'll go brush my teeth and go to sleep. Good night!" Obi-Wan said as he headed upstairs.

"Good night," Aerith said as she remained seated at her chair.

For minutes, the flower girl daydreamed about Obi-Wan's world. _He must have met hundreds of people and aliens in his life_, she thought. _I wonder what other planets were like._ A sudden thought popped into her head. _Speaking of planets, Gaia becomes really quiet when Obi is around_. Then another thought popped into her head. _I wonder if Obi can talk to the planet like me..._

Aerith headed to the bathroom upstairs and brushed her teeth and washed her face. She then retreated to her room and took back her hanging clothes from the window. The flower girl got on her bed and fell asleep, dreaming about gazing at the fields of tall buildings and flying spaceships.

* * *

><p>A not-too-happy Cloud woke up from a dreamless sleep in the empty basement of the bar. The grumpy man had trouble sleeping thanks to Barret's awful snoring. The blonde's acute sense of hearing did not help him. Grabbing the back of his neck, Cloud stood on the platform and clicked the combination on the pinball machine.<p>

Tifa and Barret were already at the normal level and Marlene was at the bar, mixing drinks. When the platform carrying Cloud reached its destination, Tifa immediately greeted him. "Good morning, Cloud!" she said enthusiastically. "Did you sleep well?"

"Barret's snoring kept me up," Cloud grumpily murmured as he rubbed his eyes.

Alarmed, Tifa leaned toward the blonde and whispered, "Keep it down. They'll hear you. Barret's always edgy before an operation."

After giving the warning, the bar hostess lightened up and announced, "I'm going this time."

"Our target's the Sector 5 Reactor," Barret spoke up near the doorway. "Head for the station first. I'll fill you in on the train." The gun-armed man scratched his chin and finally called out, "Yo! Cloud!"

The ex-SOLDIER walked to where Barret was.

"Before the next mission, I got somethin' I wanna ask you!" the gun-armed man said. "I, uh... I don't really know how to use Materia!" he admitted as he held out a Materia. "I'll give you that Materia you found. Just teach me how to use it!"

Cloud sighed. _I don't think he's gonna understand,_ he bitterly thought. He, however, decided to explain. "Okay, I'll explain it..."

After a long explanation about using the Materia, Barret only looked even more confused than before. "Shi...! What's this 'It wasn't that tough' crap?" he complained. "I'm clueless. Well, you handle the Materia then!"

_...What a waste of time that was_, Cloud thought as he shook his head.

After getting prepared, the trio left the bar and headed for the train station. Biggs, Wedge, and Jessie immediately boarded the train when they saw the rest of their team running to the train. When everyone got on, the station guard closed the doors.

All of the AVALANCHE members were on the same car. Just when everyone was about to get comfortable, Barret shouted, "Yo! Looks like this ain't no private car! So split up!" Just as he finished his sentence, Biggs, Wedge, and Jessie immediately got up and went to the next car.

Unbeknownst to them, the same well-dressed Shinra manager from the day before was in the same car. "...Hoodlums again," he murmured bitterly as he sat on the passenger's seat. "God, don't I just have all the luck..."

When Barret was about to head in to the next car, he was able to hear the manager's complaint. "You say sumthin'?" he growled at the well-dressed man. The well-dressed man didn't say anything in return. "I said, 'You say sumthin'?" the gun-armed man said with a raised voice.

Barret decided to walk up to the manager and said, "Yo, look at that! It got empty alluva sudden. What's goin' on?"

The startled Shinra manager squeaked, "Damn!" He tried and compose himself and said, "I-it's empty because of... g-guys like you..."

Annoyed by the babbling man, Barret smacked him on the head.

"Y-y-yipes!" the scared man squeaked. "You... you've seen the news, right? AVALANCHE says there'll be more bombings." He then straightened his posture and said proudly, "Only devoted employees like me would go to Midgar on a day like today."

The gun-armed man backed up several steps and asked in a rather menacing way, "You workin' for Shinra?"

"I won't give in to violence..." the well-dressed man murmured. He quickly added, "I'm not giving you my seat, either!"

Tifa, who was standing far away from them from the beginning, decided that Barret did enough scaring for today and quickly intervened the verbal battle. "Barret!" she shouted as she ran to the two.

Barret left to the back of the car, cursing, while Tifa bowed apologetically to the scared man and quickly followed Barret.

_That was quite a scene_, Cloud, who was standing at the back of the car, thought as he saw his two team members running to where he was.

"So," the blonde began, "what are we going to do now?"

"Shit!" the angry gun-armed man cursed. "The hell you so calm about? You bustin' up my rhythm."

_I didn't "bust up" anything, buster_, Cloud angrily thought. He had trouble refraining himself from saying it out loud.

Moments later, the whole train began to shake. A loud noise was generated outside the car. Tifa looked out the window and said, "Seems like they just finished connecting the cars. We're finally leaving."

"And about time, too," Cloud murmured. "I was getting incredibly bored."

* * *

><p><em>Still no signs of Luke Skywalker<em>, Obi-Wan thought in defeat. _What can this mean?_

The Jedi woke up rather early. He was sitting on the bed, meditating for hours. The auburn-haired man was attempting to contact his temporary padawan, Luke Skywalker; he was, however, failing.

_I think I need a break_, the knight decided. He put on his robe, left his room, and headed for the stairway. As he did, he noticed Aerith, wearing her usual pink attire, coming out of her room.

"Good morning!" the flower girl said.

"Good morning," Obi-Wan said as well.

"Shall we go downstairs?"

"That's my plan."

The two walked down the stairs and sat around the dining table. Aerith put her hands on the back of her head and leaned back on her chair. "A whole day of free time," she complacently said.

"What do you plan to do?" the Jedi asked.

"I will..." the flower girl began, but she tapped her chin as she tried to think of something. "Huh," she noticed. "I don't know what to do..." Seconds later, an idea popped into her head. "Hey, I got an idea!" she exclaimed.

"No, I'm _still_ not letting you play with my _weapon_," Obi-Wan said sternly.

"...Oh, fine," Aerith said in defeat.

At that moment, Elmyra walked down the stairs. When she saw the bored expression on the faces of the Jedi Knight and her daughter, she said, "Well, you two certainly look entertained."

"Yeah, mom. We're having _sooo_ much fun," Aerith said sarcastically.

"Oh, right," the middle-aged woman began as she recalled something. "Last night, Mr. Kenobi told me that you went on a 'memory trip'. How was it?"  
>"Oh yeah!" the flower girl exclaimed. "That was incredible! Who knew Obi came from such an exciting place? Why don't you try it out, mom?"<p>

"I'll pass," Elmyra said with a smile. "I'm just fine with you having fun in that trip. And besides, I think I'm not ready for that sort of 'traveling'."

"True," Obi-Wan agreed. "'Memory trips' can sometimes take a toll on a memory-traveler's mind. It doesn't happen very often, but it still happens."

The three eventually decided to watch television. Nothing interesting, however, was happening in any TV programs.

"It's as boring as yesterday," Aerith complained.

"You could always read a book," Elmyra suggested.

"That's what Obi said yesterday," the flower girl said.

While the two chatted, Obi-Wan observed the lightsaber in his right hand. _Maybe I should tweak this lightsaber so that I could fit the Materias on it_, the Jedi thought. When he had nothing else to think about, he closed his eyes and let his lightsaber hover over his hand. Obi-Wan slowly disassembled his lightsaber, piece by piece. Soon, every parts were floating over his hand.

When he tried to put them back together, Aerith noticed the floating pieces and exclaimed in surprise, "Woah! Obi! Your lightsaber is splitting!"

This exclamation took Obi-Wan by surprising, causing his focus to break and the pieces of the lightsaber to fall on the ground.

The Jedi only smacked his forehead with the palm of his hand. The flower girl looked at the fallen pieces, then at Obi-Wan. "That... is my fault... is it?" she asked slowly.

The auburn-haired man remained still.

"...Sorry," Aerith apologized as she scratched the back of her head. "I'll help you put it back together... We _can_ put it back together, right?"

"Yes," Obi-Wan answered. It was hard to tell whether he was annoyed or not.

Elmyra only shook her head and said, "I'll help picking all the parts up." She then pointed at her daughter and said with a stern voice, "And you, young lady, will help Mr. Kenobi reassemble his lightsaber."

"Hey, I said that I'll help Obi put it back together, right?" Aerith pointed out.

_On the bright side, now I have something to do_, Obi-Wan thought optimistically. _Fixing this lightsaber won't be hard_.

Minutes later, Obi-Wan began reassembling his lightsaber at the table. Elmyra gave the Jedi a screwdriver and asked if she can help the auburn-haired man with anything. The knight said that it was quite alright. He also told Aerith that she didn't need to help him with anything. The flower girl, however, stayed sitting on her chair as her mother went upstairs to read a book.

"Are those crystals?" Aerith asked as she saw Obi-Wan lift up small blue crystals using the Force.

"They are lightsaber crystals," the Jedi replied. "These crystals are the source of the lightsaber's blade."

"So, those small crystals are the things that generate the laser sword thing?" the flower girl asked. "Huh. I thought there some sort of huge battery in there or something."

The Jedi let the crystals hover in the air and enclosed them with lightsaber parts. The weapon already looked completed.

"There," Obi-Wan said in satisfaction. "All I need to do is fasten some screws and I'm done."

"That's it?" the brunette said in disappointment. "I thought this was a one-week job."

"Building your first lightsaber can take that long if you don't know what you're doing," the knight explained as he began fastening the screws with the screwdriver. "But Jedi Masters usually help their padawans with it, so it usually takes up to several days."

"'Padawans'?" Aerith mumbled as she scratched her head.

"Oh. Padawan basically means apprentice."

"Padawan means apprentice. Got it," the flower girl noted as she smiled. "Speaking of which, did you have a 'padawan'?"

Obi-Wan frowned as he remembered Darth Vader.

"Oh wait," Aerith said in regret as she remembered the Jedi's story. "I-I'm sorry. I forgot-"

"Actually, I had two padawans," the auburn-haired man corrected as he smiled. "One was... Darth Vader. The other was a young man, Anakin Skywalker."

"Akin Skywalker?" the flower girl wondered out loud. "That name is as strange as yours."

"It's 'Anakin Skywalker'," Obi-Wan said slowly. "He was not only my padawan, but he was also my very good friend. He was also a good friend to Darth Vader."

"Was Darth Vader a good man before he... left you?" Aerith asked.

"Oh, he definitely was," the Jedi admitted as he nodded. "Although, he did not like me very much. He was much closer to Anakin than he was to me." The auburn-haired man carefully thought of his words and said, "In fact, Darth Vader was not my apprentice during the Clone Wars. I know he was 'in touch' with Anakin, but Skywalker and I never talked about him."

"Oh..." Aerith murmured sadly as she looked away. "I'm sorry to hear that."

"There's no need," Obi-Wan pointed out.

Although Obi-Wan partly thought that it was a good idea to describe Darth Vader and Anakin Skywalker as different individuals, he also partly regretted doing so. _It's not like Aerith will be traumatized by the fact that Anakin was Vader_, the Jedi thought. _Blazes, why hadn't I said the truth in the first place..._ The man thought for a moment and theorized, _Perhaps I am that much of a fool to not accept the whole truth about Anakin's fall and spread stories about how Anakin was good and Vader was bad._ He chuckled to himself, _What a damn fool am I_. _Ah well, it's not like Aerith will meet Darth Vader face to face._

A few minutes of silence passed. Aerith, who thought that the mood became to serious because of her, decided to change the topic and asked, "So, how does Mr. Skywalker look like?"

"You want to know how he _looks_ like?" Obi-Wan asked as he laughed. "Of all the things you could've asked about him."

"Hey!" the flower girl pouted. "I just want to know how he looks like! You can use your magic memory-travel-mind-rewind thingy to show me."

"Alright," the Jedi said as he placed his finished lightsaber on his belt. "Just grab my hands."

Aerith immediately grabbed Obi-Wan's hands. _He better look good_, she thought as she closed her eyes, sensing the familiar tingling feeling traveling through her body.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, on the train, Cloud, Tifa, and Barret remained on the same car.<p>

"So what's our next target?" Cloud asked.

"It's a giant scorpion," Barret explained. "We attack when its tail's up."

"..." Cloud was irked by the gun-armed man's joke. "A joke is meant to be funny."

Tifa, unfortunately, did not get the joke. She only scratched her head in wonder.

"Hah! Listen to Mr. Serious-about-his-work!" the leader laughed. "Awright, I'll tell ya! Jessie's probably already told you, but there's a security check point at the the top plate. It's an ID scan system checkin' all the trains."

"Which Shinra is very proud of," the bar hostess added.

"We can't use our fake ID's anymore," Barret pointed out.

At the end of their discussion, the train intercom came on. "Good morning, and welcome to Midgar Lines. Arrival time at Sector 4 Station will be 11:45."

"That means we've only got three more minutes to the ID check point!" Tifa noticed.

Barret went to the middle of the car, ignoring the whimpering manager at the farthest seat from them, and announced, "Alright, in three minutes, we're jumpin' off this train. Got it?" The gun-armed man then sat on the passenger's seat and relaxed as he pretended not to notice the visibly-uncomfortable Shinra manager.

Tifa then ran to the other side of the train car and called out, "Cloud, come over here! Let's look at the Railway Map Monitor."

_Another one of those?_ Cloud thought. He walked to where Tifa was.

"Hmm, it looks like you've seen this already..." the bar hostess murmured, slightly in disappointment. "It's alright. Come a little closer."

When the blonde tried to walk closer to the woman, however, the light started flashing red.

"That's odd," Tifa said as she tapped her chin. "The ID check point was suppose to be further down."

Almost immediately, the train intercom began beeping, "Type A Security Alert! Unidentified passengers confirmed. Search of all cars will be conducted." The intercom repeated the warning several times.

"What's happening?" Tifa asked the ex-SOLDIER in alarm.

"Trouble is happening, that's what," Cloud said calmly.

Instantly, Jessie came rushing into the car. "We're in trouble," she stated as she immediately headed to the next car. "I'll explain later. Hurry! Get to the next car!"

Barret, who was furious more than alarmed, started to follow Jessie as he cursed. "Someone blew it," he growled angrily.

The train intercom then announced, "Unidentified passengers located in Car No. 1. Preparing for lock down."

"Let's go!" the leader shouted as he ran to the next car. "Keep it up!"

Cloud and Tifa soon followed behind their leader. When they reached the next car, the two spotted the rest of their team on the other side of the car.

The intercom soon announced, "Car No. 1: Locked down. Upgrading to Level 2 warning."

Biggs shouted to hurry as he ran to the next car. The incredibly startled Wedge squeaked, "They're gonna lock the door, sir!" and followed behind Biggs.

The intercom immediately announced, "Unidentified passengers located in Car No. 2. Preparing for lock down."

"Just run!" Jessie shouted. "Changing to Plan Two!" She immediately ran for the next train car.

"C'mon, Cloud!" Tifa said as she followed Jessie.

_Finally, some action_, Cloud thought in relief as he ran. _I thought I was gonna get bored to death back there._

The AVALANCHE team soon reached the last car. Jessie, Biggs, and Wedge were disguised as a Shinra soldier and regular civilians, respectively. Barret ran to the front of the car and shouted, "Alright, we made it!" He then gave a signal to Tifa and Cloud. The two ran to where their leader was.

Barret opened the door of the train and shouted, "Let's go! We're gonna dive outta here!"

Tifa stepped closer to Cloud and murmured, "Scary... huh?"

The blonde scratched his head and said, "Too late to be saying that now. Why did you come along anyway?"

The bar hostess looked away from her friend's eyes. "Because..." she murmured hesitantly.

"Hey, you two!" Barret interrupted. "There ain't no time for that!"

Cloud and Tifa stepped closer to the opened door. The bar hostess took a deep breath and shouted, "Yeah! I've made up my mind." _No, you didn't_, the other part of her mind warned. She ignored the thought and said, "Watch closely. I'm gonna jump!" The brave woman then jumped out of the train.

Cloud stepped forth and tried to jump. But he looked back at Barret and asked, "You don't care if I go first?"

"A leader always stays till the end," the gun-armed man said. "Don't worry 'bout me, just go!"

The ex-SOLDIER then looked out the door. "Yo!" Barret suddenly called. "Don't go getting' your spikey ass hurt! It's only the beginnin' of the mission!" After shrugging in reply, Cloud jumped off the train.

Barret stepped closer to the door. "Later!" he said to the rest of his team. "You take care of the rest." He jumped.

* * *

><p>After eating lunch, Elmyra, Aerith, and Obi-Wan did what they usually did. After having a friendly chat, they decided to have some individual time. Elmyra continued to read her book, this time in the living room. Obi-Wan,using the Force, gathered up the dust in the house into a large dust ball and threw it away. Aerith watched the "boring" television.<p>

Elmyra, however, noticed something different about her daughter. Aerith usually complained about how boring the television programs were, but this time the flower girl was... quiet. When the middle-aged woman took a look at Aerith's face, she realized that her daughter's eyes were distant as if the flower girl was daydreaming.

"You're complaining a lot less, today," Elmyra said.

"Yeah," Aerith said as she continued to "watch" television.

"In fact, you're not complaining at all," Miss Gainsborough corrected.

"Yeah," the flower girl said distantly.

"Congratulations," Elmyra said. "This is probably the seventh time you haven't complained about what's on TV."

"Yeah," Aerith said again.

"...Yeah..." Elmyra said as she scratched her head.

"Yeah," the young brunette said.

"Mr. Kenobi, what-" Elmyra began as she turned to the Jedi, but she gasped and then slapped her face. "I thought you threw that away, Mr. Kenobi."

Obi-Wan was sitting at his usual seat, using the Force to let a huge dust ball float above his hands. "Oh, I threw away the last one," he explained. "I just made this one."

"Just... throw it away... please," Elmyra said in annoyance. The Jedi complied and let the dust ball hover out of the house.

"Now," the middle-aged woman began again. "Do you think you have any idea why Aerith is like that?"

"Aerith?" Obi-Wan asked as he looked at the silent flower girl. "Oh, yes. She seemed rather quiet during lunch. Oh, she's doing it again right now."

"Exactly," Elmyra said. "She was fine in the morning."

"Hmm," the Jedi murmured as he rested his chin on his fist. "Aerith and I did go on a memory trip while you were not with us," he recalled.

"And what was this memory trip about," Elmyra asked.

"I was showing her how my other apprentice, Anakin Skywalker, looked like," Obi-Wan said.

"That is all?"

"That is all..." the auburn-haired man said. "After that, she did become a little quiet, but not as quiet as right now."

Elmyra tapped her chin in thought. _So, Mr. Kenobi showed Aerith how his other apprentice looked like_, she thought. _I wonder..._

"Aerith," the middle-aged woman called.

"Huh?" Aerith murmured as she turned, apparently waking up from her daydream.

"You do realize you were quiet for some time now," Elmyra explained.

"I was?" the flower girl asked.

"Yes. Could you, perhaps, tell me exactly what you were thinking of?"

"Oh, um..." Aerith said. "I...uh..."

"Were you, by chance, thinking of Anakin Skywalker?" Elmyra guessed.

"HUH?" the flower girl gasped. "Ha ha! Of course not!" She laughed nervously.

Obi-Wan finally realized what Elmyra was getting at. He then turned to Elmyra and said with a mischievous smile, "I think I know why Aerith was this quiet."

Elmyra turned to the smiling Jedi and said, "Please, do explain."

"During the memory trip, Aerith and I went to the part where Anakin was talking to several people," he began. "Now, Anakin was a handsome young man. He was barely at his mid-twenties that time. Aerith happened to stand where Anakin's wife stood. When my apprentice walked up to his wife, he also walked up to your daughter. While he did not _say_ anything special, he must have had made a particularly sweet face for his wife. Of course, to Aerith, it would've looked as if Anakin was doing that to her."

After hearing the story, Elmyra only chuckled and turned to Aerith, who was burying her head in her arms. "Oh, you silly thing," Elmyra said.

"...He... looked... pretty... good..." Aerith murmured inside her little shell. She slowly lifted her head from her arms, revealing a pink blush across her face.

"Don't you think you're taking it seriously?" Obi-Wan asked, suppressing a laughter.

"It wouldn't have been much of problem if he didn't look at me that way," the flower girl said quietly. "For a moment, I thought he..."

"He's only a memory," the Jedi explained. "You could get a little 'unhealthy' if you don't let it go."

"Oh, don't worry," Aerith said as she made a small smile. "I don't 'like' like him. I would've just commented on how good he looked. It's just his gaze that got me... Although," she said quietly as she looked out the window, "it would be great if I get to meet him in person. He seems like a great man."

_He was a great man_, Obi-Wan thought sadly, _until he turned himself over to the Dark Side of the Force_. The Jedi then stood up and said with a smile, "I do not know about you two, but I think I need to take a walk."

"I'll go, too," Aerith said as she stood up. "I need to look after my flowers in the church, anyway."

"Count me in," Elmyra stated. "I need to start exercising more often. Guess I'll start today."

* * *

><p>Eventually, Cloud, Barret, and Tifa met up in an underground subway track. "Good," Barret said in satisfaction. "So far, everything's going as planned." He started to head down the tunnel, but he abruptly stopped and said, "Better not let your guard down till we get to the Sector 5 Reactor. Biggs, Wedge, and Jessie got everything ready for us. So MOVE it!"<p>

The three began to walk down the dark passageway. The only sources of light were the dim red lamps hanging on the walls and normal lights on the ceiling. The troublesome trio walked on until they saw bright greenish light beams blocking their path.

Cloud stepped forth and stated, "Those light beams are the Shinra's security sensors." He turned to the rest of his group and said, "We can't go any further."

Barret and Tifa looked thoughtfully at the other side of the wall of beam. The bar hostess then looked around and found a ventilation duct in the wall. "Hey guys!" she called out as she headed to the small opening leading to the duct. "Over here!"

"That's one damn timy hole," Barret commented as he headed to the opening. "You tellin' me to squeeze into that to get under the Plate? No way!" The gun-armed man turned to the ex-SOLDIER and asked, "Yo, Cloud! What're we gonna do?"

"We don't have any choice," Cloud answered. "We go down through that hole."

Barret leaned down and looked through the opening. "But, damn, man," he said. "That thing gives me the chills."

The three climbed through the duct with Cloud leading the way and Tifa coming last. When they went into the vent, they immediately realized that the duct was rather huge.

"Woah," Barret said. "Kinda big for an air duct."

"Aren't ventilation ducts supposed to be a bit... narrower?" Tifa asked the blonde.  
>"Dunno, don't care," the ex-SOLDIER responded. He then looked at the floor and noticed a bottle of ether. "Oh hey," he said a bit delightly as he picked up the small bottle, "an ether."<p>

"The hell's an ETHER doing HERE?" Barret asked in suspicion. "I have a BAD feelin' bout this."

"Maybe a maintenance man just left the ether here by accident?" the bar hostess suggested.

"Perhaps, but why would a maintenance man carry an ETHER around?" the gun-armed man asked.

"Shut up," Cloud said as he put the ether in his kit. "I smelled it just now and it didn't seem to have any poison in it. Happy now?"

"Oh, so little SOLDIER smelled an ether and found it clean?" Barret said mockingly. "Just throw it away! I don't trust your smellin'!"

_Oh, for the love of..._ Cloud thought angrily. He then picked a random bottle of water in his kit and threw it away. "There's your poisoned ether. Happy now?"

"Good, now-" Barret said as he tried to walk on until he noticed that the discarded bottle was not the ether. "The hell?" he exclaimed. "That's no ether!"

"...Will you two just SHUT UP?" Tifa shouted angrily. "Let's see if that damn thing is not poisoned!" She then took out the questionable ether from Cloud's small bag and drank half of it, despite of Barret's warnings. Several minutes passed and Tifa did not show any signs of being poisoned. "Alright, I think we can agree that the damn ether is not. Freakin'. Poisoned," the bar hostess said as she started to suppress her anger. She then shoved the ether into Cloud's hands and walked away.

"...Woah..." the two men murmured quietly in fear.

Tifa abruptly stopped, much to the fear of the two, and slowly turned around. Much to Cloud and Barret's surprise, they noticed that the bar hostess was nervously laughing with a small blush on her face.

"Err... Sorry about that," Tifa said as she scratched her head. "I normally don't like to use my big voice."

The two men nervously nodded.

"Well, what are you guys waiting for?" Tifa said cheerfully. "Let's go!" With that, she climbed down out of the duct via the ladder.

"...Creepy..." the gun-armed man said as he slowly turned to the blonde next to him.

"You can say that again..." Cloud muttered.

"...Creepy..."

The three climbed down the ladder and they eventually reached one of the rooms of the reactor. They also met up with Wedge.

"Cloud, this way," Wedge said as he pointed at the ladder next to him. "The reactor's up this ladder."

Cloud climbed up the reactor with Barret and Tifa following behind him. They ended up in a small, dirty room. Also, Jessie was waiting for them.

"Jessie," Barret said, "do you-"

"I'm sorry," Jessie interrupted as she avoided eye contact with any of the three. "The ID scan problem on the train was all my fault." She nervously looked at the ex-SOLDIER. "I made your ID card special," she said as she began to blush. "So that's why it happened. I put my heart into making it... but I failed."

Barret only shook his head in disappointment. Tifa raised her eyebrow as she crossed her arms. Cloud didn't know how to respond to this, so he only scratched his head and said, "It's okay."

"Next time, I'll give you something more decent," Jessie said with a determined look. "I'll be back at the hideout in the research room working on it."

The three began to head out of the room through another ladder. As they climbed down, Cloud thought that he heard Tifa quietly murmur rather darkly, "She could try till the pigs fly." But he just concluded that he heard it wrong. They reached the bottom of the ladder and walked on the catwalk.

Biggs was waiting for them on the other side. "Hey! Over here!" he called out as he waved. "We're gonna pull out now. We'll meet up at the hideout," the man-in-green said. "Guys, we're countin' on you to blow the reactor!" With that, he retreated.

"So who's going to plant the bomb?" Cloud asked.

"You," Barret announced.

"What? Again?" the ex-SOLDIER complained.

"Yeah, and we'll attack the Guard Scorpion when its tail's up," the gun-armed man said with a smirk.

"For the love of..."

Tifa only tapped her chin and asked, "What's with the 'attack when its tail is up' thing?"

"It's-" Barret tried to explain.

"Focus on the job!" Cloud interrupted angrily.

* * *

><p>Obi-Wan and Elmyra were heading home after the walk. During the walk, Aerith stopped at the church to look after the flowers.<p>

"...And that is why I absolutely hate flying," the Jedi said as he walked on the dirty road.

"It's quite funny how your apprentice, Mr. Skywalker, thought differently about flying," Elmyra commented.

"At the time, I thought that Anakin was going to be the death of me," Obi-Wan joked, trying to ignore the fact that Anakin did become the 'death' of him.

"I can only imagine how it would've been like," the middle-aged woman said. "I've never been to space before."

"It's quite fascinating the first time you see it, but it gets rather dull as time passes," the auburn-haired man admitted as he kicked an empty can on the ground.

The two reached the house. Their chat did not end there, however. The two sat on their usual spot around the dining table.

"Mr. Kenobi, I have a question," Elmyra asked.

"Ask away," the Jedi said.

"How was your family like?"

Obi-Wan 'hmm'ed as he looked at the window. "I was born in a planet called Stewjon," he recalled. "My family was a little wealthy. I had a brother named Owen.I remember, we used to play in a green, grassy hills."

The Jedi then took out his lightsaber and looked at it thoughtfully. "A Jedi Knight passed by our house. He must have felt my apparent connection to the Force. The knight came over and talked to my parents that I have the potential to become a Jedi. My father politely said that he had no intentions of handing me over to the Jedi, but my mother had different thoughts. My parents argued, but eventually they came to a conclusion that I must be sent to the Jedi Temple. A year later, I became a Jedi student."

Obi-Wan turned to Elmyra and said with a chuckle, "Quite honestly, I don't remember much about my family. I did visit them occasionally after I became a Jedi Knight, but those visits were nothing too special."

"Oh," Miss Gainsborough said sadly, "I'm sorry for asking."

"It's alright," Obi-Wan replied with a smile. "Although, I would like to ask you something."

"What is it?" Elmyra asked.

"Why does Aerith watch television if she doesn't even enjoy anything on it?"

Elmyra tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Hmm... That is a good question," she said.

* * *

><p>Cloud, Barret, and Tifa were now near the reactor's core. But while they were running, the blonde suddenly clutched his head and fell to his knees.<em> Damn<em>, he thought. _Not this again..._

"Damn, man," Barret shouted. "Get a hold of yourself!"

"You all right?" Tifa asked with concern as she knelt by the troubled ex-SOLDIER.

Cloud slowly stood up as the pain in his head disappeared. He looked at his friend. "...Tifa..." he murmured.

"Mmm?" the bar hostess asked.

Cloud then shook his head and said, "No. Forget it." He then ran ahead of them and shouted, "Come one, let's hurry!"

"The hell's up with him?" Barret said as he followed behind the blonde.

"...What was he trying to say?" Tifa wondered out loud as she began to run.

Cloud planted the bomb as he did before. "The bomb is set," he announced.

"Then let's get the hell outta here!" the gun-armed man said.

The three began to run away from the bomb. They went through the usual course: the stairways, the elevator, and the control room. _Why's this too easy?_ Cloud thought worriedly. _I was having a bad feeling since the beginning of this mission_.

The trio soon exited the reactor. They were on a large three-way catwalk that was really high up in the air. Barret took the lead and shouted, "This way!"

As he tried to continue on, however, Shinra soldiers advanced from the other side. "Shinra soldiers?" the gun-armed man exclaimed. "Shit! What the hell's goin' on?"

_Isn't it obvious?_ Cloud thought as he mentally slapped himself. "A trap," he answered.

The three then heard footsteps from the entrance of the reactor. They turned and saw a well-dressed, middle-aged man exiting the reactor.

"President Shinra?" Barret said.

"Why is the President here?" Tifa wondered out loud.

The President stopped in a safe distance between himself and the AVALANCHE group. "Hmm..." he said. "So you all must be that... what was it again?"

"AVALANCHE!" the gun-armed man shouted venomously. "And don't ya forget it! And you're President Shinra, huh?

At this moment, Cloud stepped forth and said, "Long time no see, President."

"...'Long time no see'...?" President Shinra murmured, then realization struck him. "Oh... you," he said. "You're the one who quit SOLDIER and joined AVALANCHE." He chuckled and continued, "I knew you were exposed to Mako, from the glow in your eyes..." The President then glared at the blonde, his smile not leaving his face. "Tell me, traitor. What was your name?"

"Does it matter to you?" Cloud spat back with a smirk on his face.

"Truthfully, no," President Shinra admitted. "I don't think I'd remember you even if I heard your name... Unless you become another Sephiroth." The President shook his head as he chuckled. "Yes, Sephiroth... He was brilliant. Perhaps too brilliant..."

Cloud stepped back to where his teammates were standing. "Sephiroth..." Cloud whispered angrily.

At this moment, Barret stepped to where Cloud was standing and shouted, "Don't give a damn 'bout none of that! This place's goin' up with a big BANG soon! Serves y'all right!"

"And such a waste of good fireworks," President Shinra said, disappointed, "just to get rid of vermin like you..."

"'Vermin'? That's all you can say, vermin!" the gun-armed man shouted with all his anger. "Y'all Shinra're the 'vermin', killing the Planet! And that makes you KING 'Vermin'! So shu'up jackass!"

The President remained unfazed. "You're beginning to bore me," he said as he looked at his watch. "I'm a very busy man, so if you'll excuse me, I have a dinner I must attend."

"Dinner?" Barret shouted as he stepped closer to the President. "Don't gimme that! I ain't even started with you yet!"

"But, I've made arrangements for a playmate for all of you," President Shinra said as he snapped his fingers.

Suddenly, a loud rumbling was heard from across the catwalk.

"What's that noise?" Tifa asked as she looked around.

Barret ran back to the rest of his group. "The hell is this?" he shouted as he saw a large mechanical being rushing to the three.

The giant robot rushed past the three as Cloud dodged to the other side of the metal bridge.

"Meet 'Airbuster,' a techno-soldier," the president explained calmly. "Our Weapon Development Department created him. I'm sure the data he'll extract from your dead bodies will be of great use to us in future experiments."

"...Techno-soldier?" the blonde murmured as he smirked. _Of all the words you could've used to describe this giant metal junk..._ he thought.

One second later, a helicopter hovered up to the bridge next to the President. "Now then, if you'll excuse me," he said. And with that, he boarded the helicopter and flew away.

Cloud stared at the helicopter flying away. _So, in the end, we failed our mission_, the ex-SOLDIER bitterly thought. _Damn it. Why do my bad feelings always have to be correct?_

"Yo, Cloud!" Barret shouted. "We've gotta do somethin' 'bout him!"

The 'Airbuster' advanced towards Tifa and Barret, separating the blonde from the rest of his team.

"Help, Cloud!" Tifa shouted desperately.

Cloud ran up to the backside of the huge robot.

"THIS is from SOLDIER?" the bar hostess asked incredulously.

"No way!" Cloud said. "It's just a machine."

"I don't care what it is!" Barret fumed. "I'm gonna bust him up" And with that, he started to rain bullets on Airbuster.

Cloud conjured up a thunder spell and hit the machine hard. Tifa skillfuly punched and kicked Airbuster. The machine looked significantly damaged, but it didn't show any sign of stopping.

Airbuster turned around and smashed itself into the blonde. The ex-SOLDIER was able to defend its 'body-slam' by using his Buster Sword as a shield. "Hmph, not bad," Cloud mused. "Certainly knows how to pack a punch."

At that moment, Barret charged up a fireball with his gun-arm and launched it at Airbuster's 'face'. "Have a taste of 'Big Shot', ya piece of..." he shouted.

The massive fireball short-circuited the machine's CPU. After going haywire, it exploded. The good thing was that Airbuster was destroyed. The bad was that parts of the walkway were obliterated and Cloud was hanging onto a piece of broken metal for his dear life.

"Holy shit, that's a long way down," the not-so-calm Cloud commented as he looked down below. All the buildings looked microscopic to him. "A REALLY long way down," he corrected himself.

Unfortunately, Barret and Tifa were at the other side of the blown up walkway, so they were at a distance where they could not help the ex-SOLDIER. "It's gonna blow!" Barret announced as he looked at the walkway. "Let's go, Tifa!"

"...Wait... what about..." Cloud murmured as he looked at his teammates at the other side.

"Barret!" Tifa exclaimed worriedly. "Can't you do something?"

"Not a damn thing," the gun-armed replied as he shook his head.

"What the hell, Barret!" the blonde panicked. "Now's definitely NOT the time to joke around."

"Cloud! Please don't die! You can't die!" Tifa shouted, tears forming in her eyes. "There's still so much I want to tell you!"

"I know, Tifa..." Cloud said as he continued to hang on. "But why don't we worry about that AFTER I get out of this mess?"

"Hey, you gonna be alright?" Barret asked from the other side of the walkway.

"..." Cloud remained silent. His life was flashing before his eyes. He finally broke the silence and answered, "You worry about yourselves! I'm alright, but take care of Tifa!"

"...Alright," Barret said sadly. "Sorry 'bout all this."

"Stop hanging around and get out of here!" the blonde shouted.

At that moment, the bomb in the reactor exploded, knocking the unfortunate ex-SOLDIER from the walkway. Tifa desperately tried to grab him, but the two were too far apart. Cloud began to fall down to the place beneath.

_So, this is how I die_, Cloud thought hopelessly. _I guess it won't be too bad, I had nothing to live for anyway._ He looked at the buildings approaching at him fast. _I should've just died when... that... happened. Death would've been more swift then._

As the ex-SOLDIER came closer to the ground, he had another train of thought. _I thought I was able to have a fresh start at this life after... that event._ Cloud then realized something as a building came dangerously close to his body. _Damn it_, he thought angrily. _I just realized, I want to live. Badly._

…

…

…

_...Goddamnit_, was Cloud's final thought as he crashed into the wooden ceiling of a building. All the world around Cloud became dark.


	5. Small World, Big Universe

"_**It's a small world, but I wouldn't want to have to paint it."**_

**FORGE THE PATH**

**Chapter V: Small World, Big Universe**

…

…

…

Everything was pitch black. It was as if a black sheet was covering the ex-SOLDIER's eyes. He wasn't able to feel anything around him. But ultimately, Cloud knew that he was still alive.

_...You alright?_ a mysterious voice in Cloud's head asked with concern. _Can you hear me?_

_ ...Yeah..._ Cloud replied in his head automatically.

_Back then, you could get by with just skinned knees... _the voice commented nostalgically.

_What do you mean by 'back then'?_ the blonde asked.

_What about now? _the voice asked. _Can you get up?_

_...What do you mean by 'that time'? _Cloud questioned once again. _What __**about**__ now?_

_Don't worry about me_, the voice said (the blonde could've sworn the voice chuckled). _You just worry about yourself now_.

_I'll give it a try_, Cloud said. He was still slightly amused by the fact that he was talking to another voice in his mind.

Suddenly, a voice of a young woman cried out, "Oh! He moved!"

_How about that?_ the voice encouraged, probably ignoring the young woman. _Take it slow, now. Little by little..._

"Hello? Hello?" the voice of a young woman said, seemingly oblivious to the other voice.

Cloud finally opened his eyes. The world was blurry as if an eraser stopped erasing halfway. Soon, the whole world went solid, and his eyes met the young woman's.

"Hey..." the blonde started groggily. He carefully studied the young lady who was kneeling next to him: long chestnut-colored hair, green eyes, dressed in... red and pink. "Who are you?"

"Hello, hello!" the woman exclaimed happily and in relief.

Cloud sat up and looked around the place. He was in an old building with large glass windows. He looked up and found a large hole in the ceiling.

"You okay?" the young lady said as she stood up. "This is a church in the Sector 5 slums." She looked at the large hole in the ceiling, then at the dazed blonde. "You suddenly fell on top of me," she explained. "You gave me quite a scare."

The ex-SOLDIER's head was still putting the blonde's memories back in its place. "I came crashing down?" Cloud wondered out loud as he slowly recalled falling down from the reactor.

"The roof and the flower bed must have broken your fall," the brunette said as she looked at the man-shaped hole in the ceiling. "You're lucky."

"Flower bed..." Cloud mumbled as he looked at where he was sitting. "Is this yours?" He immediately stood up and carefully walked out it. "Sorry about that," he apologized as he brushed the dust of his clothes.

"That's alright," the woman said. "The flowers here are quite resilient because this is a sacred place." She began to walk to her flower bed. "They say you can't grow grass and flowers in Midgar," the brunette continued. "But for some reason, the flowers have no trouble blooming here. I love it here." She then began to tend her flowers.

_At least she's not pissed off at me_, Cloud thought as he rubbed his temples. _That would've made things a lot harder._

"...So, we meet again," the woman said rather cautiously. "Do you... remember me?"

_What the..._ The ex-SOLDIER was caught off guard by this sudden question. _Did I meet her before?_ he wondered as he began to think through his still-fuzzy mind.

"...I guess you don't remember," the young lady softly said disappointingly. "You were walking in a daze..."

"Hang on," Cloud said as he slowly began to recall something. "I remember you." _I know I met her before, but who was she again?_

The woman's face lit up with hope.

"You were..." the blonde continued as he rubbed his temples. He then suddenly remembered one of the customers in Tifa's bar. "...the slum drunk..." Cloud stated with confidence.

There was a moment of silence. Uncomfortable silence. The ex-SOLDIER then realized he answered the question incorrectly; the said slum drunk had hazel eyes and shorter hair... Plus, the customer was fatter.

"Excuse me, but that's really...!" the angry lady huffed. She then remembered something and said with a smirk, "...uncivilized."

_Oh, what..._ Cloud thought bitterly as he heard the word. The word reminded him of a certain nosy customer back in the bar. But then, he remembered another individual who liked to use the word 'uncivilized'. _The flower girl_, Cloud recalled.

"You were selling flowers," the ex-SOLDIER corrected himself quickly.

"Oh, I'm so happy!" the young woman exclaimed. She seemed to instantly forget his last answer, much to Cloud's amusement. "Thanks for buying my flowers," she thanked happily.

The flower girl 'hmm'ed and asked, "Say, do you have any materia?"

"Yes, some," Cloud said with a nod. "Nowadays, you can find materia anywhere."

"Mhm," the young woman said. "But mine is special," she continued as she showed a white-bluish materia hanging on her ribbon. "It's good for absolutely nothing."

"Good for nothing?" the ex-SOLDIER wondered out loud. "You probably don't know how to use it."

"No, I do," the flower girl stated. "It just doesn't do anything. I feel safe just having it. It was my mother's..."

_...Getting kinda awkward_, the blonde thought as he looked around the place.

"Say, I feel like talking," the woman in pink said. "Do you feel like you're up to it? After all, here we are, meeting again, right?"

Cloud shrugged and said, "I don't mind." _It would probably be less awkward that way_, he refrained from saying.

The flower girl nodded happily. "Wait here," she said as she turned to her flower bed. "I've got to check my flowers. It'll be just a minute."

The woman started to tend her flowers as Cloud stood by and waited. _I wonder if Tifa and Barret know that I'm alive..._ the ex-SOLDIER thought.

"Just a little longer," the flower girl murmured as she tended her flowers. She then looked up and exclaimed, "Oh! Now that you mention it..."

_I didn't mention anything_, the blonde nearly said out loud as he turned to the woman.

"We don't know each others names, do we?" she pointed out. The flower girl then put her hand forth and introduced herself. "I'm Aerith, a flower girl. Nice to meet you."

"The name's Cloud," Cloud said as he shook Aerith's hand. "I do a little bit of everything."

"Oh... a jack of all trades," the flower girl said.

"Yeah, I do whatever's needed."

Aerith looked thoughtful, then she began to giggle.

"What's so funny? What are you laughing at?" the ex-SOLDIER said, slightly annoyed.

"Sorry," Aerith said as she stopped giggling. "I just..." She turned to the large doorway and froze.

Cloud, wondering why the eccentric flower girl suddenly stopped, turned to look at where she was looking at. _What the... _he thought as he looked at the figure at the doorway. _Why is he..._

The figure at the doorway was that of a young man wearing slovenly blue suit with a white dress shirt that is not tucked in. The most notable feature, however, was his flaming red hair.

"Sorry," Aerith apologized to the ex-SOLDIER, "bad timing on my part."

The blonde ignored the flower girl. _Why is he here?_ Cloud thought. He then began to walk to the person in question.

"Cloud! Don't let it get to you!" Aerith warned as she stepped behind the blonde. Then, an idea formed in her head. The flower girl tapped Cloud's shoulder and asked, "Say, Cloud. Have you ever been a bodyguard?"

Cloud turned to face her; he only raised an eyebrow in response.

"You _DO_ do everything, right?" the flower girl asked questioningly.

The ex-SOLDIER smoothed his hair. "Yeah, that's right," he replied tersely.

"Then, get me out of here," Aerith commanded. "Take me home."

_What does she think I am?_ _A genie of__ the __lamp?_ Cloud thought, annoyed at the flower girl's sudden command. He, however, said, "Okay, I'll do it."

The flower girl smiled brilliantly as if she just solved a complicated puzzle.

"...But it'll cost you," the ex-SOLDIER added.

Aerith's smile was immediately replaced by a look of concern. "Well then, let's see," she wondered out loud. After a brief moment of thinking, she decided her payment and said, "How about if I go out with you once?"

…

…

_...What?_ Cloud asked himself in utter surprise. _What was I to expect, I don't think she even has a huge stash of gil, anyway_, he thought in defeat. All he gave his client was a nod. He then proceeded to confront the redheaded man.

"I don't know who you are, but..." the blonde began.

"You don't know me?" the mystery man asked, slightly taken aback.

Cloud thought for a moment, then he recalled something. "Oh yeah, I know you," he said as he looked at the mystery man's clothes. "That uniform..."

At that precise moment, three Shinra soldiers burst in through the doorway. One of the guards looked at the ex-SOLDIER and commented, "Hey sis, this one's a little weird."

Another soldier carefully studied the blonde and turned to the redhead. "Reno!" he began. "Want him taken out?"

Reno studied both the ex-SOLDIER and the flower girl behind him. "I haven't decided yet," he stated.

_Then you fail at your job_, Cloud said to him silently. _You Turks must think and act quickly._

As if he heard the blonde, Reno glared at the ex-SOLDIER. Tension was beginning to form between the two.

"Don't fight here!" Aerith suddenly piped, breaking the tension. "You'll ruin the flowers." She suddenly began to run to the back of the church where there was another small doorway.

Cloud followed behind her. When he reached the alternative exit, Aerith pointed to the top of the tower and revealed, "The exit is back there." The two immediately started running up the wooden stairs.

The redhead walked onto the flower bed, stepping on the flowers. _They were Mako eyes_, he thought as he recalled Cloud's glowing blue eyes. "Yeah, alright. Back to work, back to work." He then headed to the doorway where the ex-SOLDIER and the flower girl went through.

Just as the three blue-armored soldiers tried to follow the lead, Reno immediately stepped out of the room. "Oh! And don't step on the flowers," he reminded.

"Hey Reno, you just stepped on them!" one of the soldiers pointed out as the rest complained with him.

In the room where Cloud and Aerith fled to, there was a large inactive Shinra missile that remained crashed through the floors. Due to this predicament, the two had to be more careful while climbing the creaky stairs.

The ex-SOLDIER and the flower girl eventually reached a break in the second-floor walkway. While the two stopped, Reno ran into the room. "There they are! Over there!" he shouted at the soldiers as he pointed at the the blonde and the flower girl.

Cloud looked below where the Turk was at. "Looks like they aren't going to let us go," he said to his client.

"What should we do?" Aerith asked worriedly.

"We can't let them catch us, can we? Then, there's only one thing left."

With that, the blonde bodyguard jumped across the break, successfully landing at the other side of the broken walkway.

"Aerith, this way!" Cloud called out as he motioned for the flower girl to follow.

Aerith took a step forward and looked at the large gap in front of her. Gulping and her eyes widening, she immediately looked up at Cloud and shook her head.

_Oh, for the love of..._ the ex-SOLDIER bitterly thought. "Alright, I'll hold them off," he said to his client almost grudgingly.

"Right," Aerith said in relief. "Make sure they don't get through!"

The fully-annoyed Reno, who was still at the first floor, had enough of this. "The Ancient is getting away!" he shouted as he pointed at the flower girl. "Attack! Attack! Attack!"

The three guards immediately opened fire at Aerith, all bullets barely missing her.

The flower girl shrieked and flailed her arms as bullets whizzed past her. She eventually fell through the gap, sliding down the slanted Shinra missile. Aerith ended up back at the first floor, still far away from the Shinra team.

"Aerith!" Cloud exclaimed from above.

"Think we killed 'em?" Reno asked his teammates with triumph. "They shouldn't have put up a fight, I say!"

"But weren't we supposed to bring the Ancient back _alive_?" one of the soldiers asked the Turk.

The redhead remained silent for a split second, absorbing what the soldier said. He then turned to the same man and called out, "Yo."

"Huh?" the concerned soldier asked.

"I hate you. It's official," Reno announced darkly.

"Aw, what the... I don't even..." the soldier complained as the other two snickered.

Suddenly, a woman's voice from behind parts of the debris shouted, "Cloud, help!"

Reno then smiled and turned to the concerned soldier. "Okay, I don't hate you anymore," he amended.

"What the he-" the soldier tried to say.

"Now, get her!" the Turk ordered.

Jokes aside, the three soldiers began to search for the flower girl immediately.

"Damn," Cloud murmured from above as he looked around the place. He then looked up at the rafters and noticed something on them. _Barrels_, he mused as he concocted a plan. He climbed up the ladder next to him and stood on the rafters.

Aerith stood up and noticed that one of the soldiers was advancing towards her. She then waved her hand and said forcefully, "You want to go away."

"Oh, you think?" the soldier asked, looking unfazed.

"Well, that did no good at all," the brunette thought out loud in defeat. She then looked up at the ceiling and shouted, "Help!"

The ex-SOLDIER looked at the one of the soldiers advancing towards the flower girl. He then pushed a barrel off the rafters. The wooden barrel crashed onto the unfortunate Shinra worker.

Aerith took this chance and ran past the fallen soldier. She ran up the stairs and jumped across the gap in the walkway as the other remaining soldiers chased after her. They payed for their persistence by getting barrels to their heads.

"Thanks, Cloud!" Aerith shouted as she climbed up the ladder to the rafters, ignoring Reno's curses from below.

When the flower girl finally reached the rafters, Cloud headed towards the hole he made on the ceiling. "Aerith, this way," he called out. The two jumped out of the place through the hole.

The hole led to the roof of the church. The blonde came out first as he sat on the top-most part of the roof. The exhausted flower girl came out next and began to breathe heavily. "They're... looking for me... again," she said between her breaths.

"You mean, it's not the first time they've been after you?" Cloud asked incredulously.

"No," Aerith said as she sat down.

"They're the Turks," the ex-SOLDIER explained.

"Hmm..."

"The Turks are an organization in Shinra," Cloud continued. "They scout for possible candidates for SOLDIER."

"This violently?" Aerith asked as she turned to Cloud. "I thought they were kidnapping someone."

"They're also involved in a lot of dirty stuff on the side," the blonde said as he shrugged. "Spying, murder... you know."

"They look like it," the flower girl murmured, picturing the Turks breaking into someone's house in her mind.

""But, why are they after _you_?" the ex-SOLDIER asked with his eyebrow raised. "There must be a reason, right?"

"No, not really," Aerith said with a shrug. Then, her eyes lit up with excitement. "I think they believe I have what it takes to be in SOLDIER!" she exclaimed.

"Maybe you do," Cloud said indifferently. _Looks ARE deceiving, after all_, he thought. "You want to join?"

"I don't know..." the brunette said with a concerned look. "But I don't want to get caught by THOSE people!"

"Then, let's go," the ex-SOLDIER said as he stood up. He ran up to the end of the church roof and jumped to another roof. The blonde continued to jump from roof to roof with ease.

"Wait...!" Aerith shouted from far away. She was jumping from roof to roof, but with much difficulty. She was also sweating and breathing heavily again. "Wait, I said," she wheezed.

_Oh, nuts_, Cloud groaned inward as he stopped to wait for his slow client. Minutes later, the flower girl finally caught up, but looked as if she just ran a marathon.

"Slow... down..." she wheezed between her gasps for air. "Don't... leave... me...!"

"Funny," Cloud wondered out loud as he recalled something. "I thought you were cut out to be in SOLDIER."

"...Oh!" Aerith exclaimed, looking tired and annoyed. "You're terrible!"

This made the normally-stoic blonde chuckle.

"Hey, Cloud," the flower girl called out as she regained her energy, "Were you ever in SOLDIER?"

Cloud stopped chuckling, his serious expression returning. After a brief moment of silence, he finally answered, "I used to be a SOLDIER. How did you guess?"

"Your eyes," Aerith replied as she looked into Cloud's glowing blue eyes. "They have a strange glow..."

"That's the sign of those who have been infused with Mako. A mark of SOLDIER," Cloud said. However, it bothered him how a civilian like his client would know such a thing. So, he asked," But, how did you know about that?"

"Oh, uh," the flower girl stuttered and looked a little startled. She looked away from her bodyguard's eyes and quickly said, "Nothing."

The blonde raised his eyebrow once more. "'Nothing'?" he repeated.

"Right, nothing!" Aerith said once more, this time with a large smile plastered on her face. "Come on, let's go, bodyguard!" she said enthusiastically.

The two continued to jump across the buildings. Later, they went back down to the dirt road of the slums. Aerith led the way as Cloud followed behind. Eventually, they reached their destination: Aerith's home.

"Home, sweet home," the flower girl said with a sigh of relief. She headed to the doorway of the house.

_Nice house_, the blonde thought. _This place has a lot more color than the rest of the slums._

"Mom, Obi, I'm home," Aerith said as she went into her house.

Cloud followed behind. _What am I suppose to do with the payme-_ the ex-SOLDIER thought as he entered the house._ Hang on, 'Obi'?What kind of name is _that_?_

A middle-aged woman came to the two. She was slightly startled to see a new visitor.

Sensing her mother's surprise, Aerith introduced her to the bodyguard. "This is Cloud, my bodyguard."

"'Bodyguard'?" Elmyra repeated in confusion. "You mean you were followed again?" she asked with realization striking her. "Are you alright? You're not hurt, are you?"

"I'm alright," the flower girl answered quickly. "I had Cloud with me."

Elmyra gave a sigh of relief. "Thank you, Cloud," she said to the ex-SOLDIER. After that, she went upstairs.

_Hmm_, Cloud thought. _She must be the mother. Then who is this 'Obi'?_

"So, what are you going to do now?" the brunette asked as she turned to the ex-SOLDIER.

"Is Sector 7 far from here?" Cloud asked. "I need to go to Tifa's bar."

Aerith muttered the name 'Tifa' under her breath. She then asked slowly, "Is Tifa... a girl?"

"Yeah," the blonde said with a nod.

"A girl... friend?" the flower girl added, her face becoming a little serious.

_What is she up to?_ the ex-SOLDIER thought. "Girlfriend? No. She's not." _Probably never will be_, he added silently, almost regretfully.

"Oh, whew," Aerith sighed in relief, much to the blonde's confusion.

"'Whew'?" Cloud repeated as he frowned.

"OH! Uh... Wh- _Whew_ is she, anyway?" the flower girl stammered nervously.

"Just a friend of mine," the blonde replied, already forgetting about the flower girl's suspicious sigh of relief.

"Oh nice. Anyway, Sector 7? I'll show you the way," Aerith said, quickly changing the subject.

When Cloud was about to say that he didn't need a guide, he heard a man's voice at the second floor.

"A new visitor?" the voice said presumably to Elmyra. "Well, I don't know about you, but I would like to see a new face." The owner of the voice started to head down the stairway.

The brunette noticed the footsteps and went close to the stairway. "There you are, Obi!" she said cheerfully. "I was wondering where you were."

"I was washing my face," the man replied as he walked down the stairs. "I hear you brought a 'bodyguard'."

When the man reached the bottom part of the stairs, Cloud saw his face. The ex-SOLDIER immediately realized who this man was; he was the nosy auburn-haired customer back at Tifa's bar.

"Oh no, not _you_," Cloud complained as he leaned on the wall, putting his hand over his eyes.

"You are that SOLDIER!" the auburn-haired man said cheerfully. "You were an amusing fellow."

_'Amusing'?_ the blonde thought bitterly as he glared at the robed man. The ex-SOLDIER tried to make a comeback, but the only thing that came out of his mouth was, "What are YOU doing here?"

"Cloud, that's not very nice," Aerith interrupted as she looked at Cloud. She then asked with curiosity, "You know Obi?"

"I don't know him, I just had a little... argument... with him back at the bar," Cloud replied honestly.

"It was my fault," Obi-Wan admitted to the flower girl. "I unintentionally intruded his privacy with my questions."

It took some time for Aerith to absorb the short story about the meeting of the two men. After she did, she finally said, "That's a bad beginning."

"It unfortunately was," the Jedi commented.

Cloud only crossed his arms.

"Um, anyway," Aerith began as she turned to the blonde, "Cloud, meet Obi-Wan Ken-oh-bee."

"Obi-Wan Kenobi," Obi-Wan corrected.

"Right," the flower girl said. "He's a J-"

"A traveler from a land far away," the Jedi interrupted.

Noticing that Obi-Wan wanted his status to be unrevealed, the brunette only nodded.

_He's trying to hide something_, Cloud immediately noticed.

"Obi," the flower girl continued as she turned to the auburn-haired man, "meet Cloud, my bodyguard."

"Cloud Strife," Cloud said with a stoic expression as he put his hand forth.

"A pleasure to meet you," Obi-Wan said with a small smile as he shook the blonde's hand.

"Alright, you two have fun," Aerith said as she started to walk upstairs. "I'm going to talk to mom." With that, she disappeared to the second floor.

The two were left alone in the first floor. The first to talk was the robed Jedi.

"A 'bodyguard'? So, you are a retired SOLDIER?" he asked.

Cloud thought about ignoring the man, but eventually, he said, "I left Shinra a while ago. Now I do a bit of everything."

"Interesting," Obi-Wan commented as he sat on one of the chairs. "I take it that you are not doing this for free. How much does Aerith have to pay you, anyway?"

The SOLDIER decided not to answer that question. He was beginning to realize how humiliating it was to accept a date as a payment.

Instead, Cloud sat on one of the chairs, setting his Buster Sword aside the chair, and changed the subject by asking the question, "What are you doing here?"

"I came to Midgar in search of a job," Obi-Wan said. "The cave I used to live in crashed in."

_Cave...?_ Cloud wondered. _He was a caveman?_

"While I was looking for a job, I came across Aerith," the Jedi continued. "She and her mother allowed me to stay. I was fortunate to come across nice people."

"So you're just staying here, taking up space and time as you search for a job?" the ex-SOLDIER asked with his eyebrow raised.

"I try to make myself useful by doing many chores," Obi-Wan replied, unaffected by the rudeness of the question.

Cloud only stared at the auburn-haired man's unreadable face in response.

"I'm just a simple man, trying to make my way in the universe," Obi-Wan added, quoting a certain Mandalorian bounty hunter.

"...The universe is smaller than you probably think," the ex-SOLDIER commented irritatedly, not amused with the robed man's saying.

"Do you believe so?"

"Perhaps."

The two did not talk afterward. The blonde decided to stop talking. He wasn't a big fan of talking, anyway. But the man next to him somehow evoked words out of his mouth, and Cloud did not appreciate that. He absolutely did not.

Several minutes later, Aerith came running down the stairs happily. "Good news, Cloud. Mom allowed me to take you to Sector 7 tomorrow," she announced.

"That's good news," Cloud replied as he lightened up.

"You need to go through Sector 6 to get to Sector 7," the flower girl continued. "Sector 6 is a little dangerous, so you'd better get some rest tonight."

"Alright," Cloud replied as he stood up. He wasn't able to help himself from giving a small smile to the merry brunette.

Suddenly, Obi-Wan interrupted the two. "Alright then," he said as he stood up from his chair. "I'll be sleeping in the living room."

"Huh...?" Aerith let out. "Why?"

"I'm currently occupying the only guest room in the house," the Jedi explained. "Cloud needs a proper place to rest, obviously."

"What about you?" Cloud challenged the auburn-haired man. It annoyed him how the robed man was trying to be generous to him. "Where are you planning to sleep?"

"On the chair," Obi-Wan answered simply.

"...On the chair?" the blonde asked.

The Jedi only shook his head with a chuckle. "Mr. Strife, I lived in a cave for years," he said. "I consider a chair to be a comfortable sleeping spot."

Cloud gave Obi-Wan a slight glare. "Fine," he finally said. "Suit yourself."

"I'm glad we came to an agreement," the auburn-haired man said calmly.

"Um..." Aerith murmured as she scratched her head. "I guess I'll clean up the guest room a bit." With that, she headed upstairs.

_I'm left with him AGAIN?_ Cloud thought bitterly as he looked at the robed man next to him. Much to the ex-SOLDIER's surprise, however, the auburn-haired man had a mysterious smile.

"What?" the blonde asked tersely.

"You seem to be fond of Aerith's company," Obi-Wan pointed out.

"...What?" Cloud questioned.

"Quite a lot," the robed man added.

"Okay, what are you playing at?" the ex-SOLDIER asked, feeling uncomfortable.

"Never mind," Obi-Wan said as he shook his head, his smile not leaving his face. He then walked to the front door. "I'll be outside for a while," the Jedi said as he began to leave the house. "You have a good night." With that, the auburn-haired man was no longer inside the house.

Cloud remained at his spot, standing quite still in disbelief. _Who does he think he is?_ he thought angrily.

Seconds later, Aerith walked down the stairs. "Alright, your room is prepared, bodyguard," she announced. The flower girl then looked around and noticed that Obi-Wan was missing. "Where's Obi?"

"He said he'll be outside for a while," Cloud replied as he turned to the brunette. He picked up his Buster Sword and put it on his back.

"Oh," Aerith simply said. "Anyway, follow me." She then walked upstairs with her bodyguard following.

The flower girl pointed at a door to the bedroom. "This is your room," she said. "Have a good night."

"Alright," the blonde said as he opened the door. "Good night," he said to Aerith as he walked into the bedroom.

Before Cloud closed the door, the flower girl whispered shyly, "...Cloud..."

"Hmm?" the ex-SOLDIER turned around to face his client.

The brunette tapped the floor with the tip of her boot. She looked like she wanted to say something, but all she said in the end was, "Good night." With that, she went downstairs.

_...Ooookay_, Cloud thought, slowly absorbing the awkwardness that just transpired. "Oh, man..." he muttered as he closed the door. He carefully placed his metal sword on the side of the bed. When he was trying to lie down, however, someone opened his door.

It was Elmyra. And she had a serious look on her face.

"You're from SOLDIER, right?" the middle-aged woman asked.

"Well, I used to be. But, how did you know that?" Cloud inquired. _Did Aerith tell her about my previous job?_

"I recognized it by the glow in your eyes," she said, her tone remaining serious.

_So, she knows it, too_, the blonde mused. _I wonder if the Gainsboroughs actually met other SOLDIERS before me_.

"I don't know how to say this, but..." Elmyra said slowly. She took a breath and finally asked, "Would you please leave here, tonight?" Miss Gainsborough then quickly added, "Without telling Aerith."

_So I get this shabby treatment while this 'Obi-Wan' doesn't?_ Cloud thought, quite annoyed. It wasn't Aerith's mother that got on his nerves, truthfully, but it was Obi-Wan. _How's it that he gets to stay while I don't?_

The blonde, however, only shrugged and said, "Sure. I'll leave while everyone is sleeping."

Satisfied with the answer, Elmyra nodded and said, "Thank you. And, I'm sorry for this."

_She really does seem sorry_, Cloud noticed. "It's alright," he assured. With that, they bid each other good night and Miss Gainsborough closed the door, leaving the blonde at peace.

Cloud lay down on the bed. He felt good, lying down on the bed. "It's been a while since the last time I was ever on a bed," he realized. The blonde slowly closed his eyes as he began to feel sleepy.

He fell asleep rather quickly.

* * *

><p>Obi-Wan was sitting at the dirt road in front of the house, looking at the Plate above. <em>I miss the sky<em>, he thought.

The auburn-haired man then heard a door opening. He turned around and saw that the exiting person was Aerith.

"You look lonely," she said as she sat next to the Jedi.

"Do I, now?"

"Mhm."

The two sat still for minutes, looking at the Plate. Then Obi-Wan broke the silence. "So, I see you hired a bodyguard," he said.

"Yup," Aerith replied with a nod.

"Is it because of Shinra?" the Jedi asked, already aware of the answer to that question.

"Yu-" The flower then noticed something strange about the question. "Wait," she began with a questioning look. "How did you..."

"I've heard about it," the auburn-haired man answered. "From your mother."

"...So she told you," Aerith murmured. "And you know about me."

"I'm sorry I haven't told you," Obi-Wan apologized sincerely.

"It's okay," the flower girl said, smiling. "I'm actually glad that a good friend like you knows about it."

"You are?" the Jedi asked. He certainly wasn't expecting that sort of response.

"Yup," the brunette replied. She brought her knees to her chest and rested her chin on them as she wrapped her arms around her legs. "It means a lot to me. You would have no idea how much it gets off my chest."

"Then, I am glad for you," Obi-Wan said with a smile.

"It's like a curse, though," Aerith admitted sadly.

"What is a curse?" the Jedi asked with curiosity.

"My 'special' power," the flower girl continued. "I keep hearing those voices. From within the Planet."

"What do the voices say?" the robed man inquired.

"I can't make out what they're saying," the brunette explained. "It's full of people and noisy."

Obi-Wan nodded slowly and stroked his beard, looking thoughtful. "Oh, I see- Wait a minute," he suddenly stopped himself as he looked at the flower girl next to him. "'Full of people and noisy'?"

"Mhm," Aerith murmured as she nodded.

There was a brief moment of silence. Then, Obi-Wan quietly chuckled, then laughed.

"What's so funny?" the flower girl asked as she raised her eyebrow.

"'Full of people and noisy'," the Jedi quoted between his laughter. "Do you realize how grammatically incorrect that is?"

"Wha-...?" Aerith gasped, looking hurt by the insult. She then made an angry expression and shouted, "Hey! Don't make fun of me with my grammar!"

"Alright," Obi-Wan said as he stifled his laughter, albeit with difficulty. "Then let us talk about the wonderful 'Staff Incident'."

"Good, go-..." the flower girl was saying as she began to calm down. But she then realized what the Jedi was talking about. "Obi!" the brunette shouted angrily at her friend, her face becoming red like a ripe apple.

"What?" the Jedi asked as he laughed.

"I'll... I'll... I'll bonk you!" the angry flower shouted as she began to hit the auburn-haired man's back.

"By the Force!" Obi-Wan exclaimed as he stood up and took several steps back from the angry brunette. "You are quite a scary woman."

"That's right," Aerith said as she remained seated at her spot. "No one messes with Aerith Gainsborough."

"I'm quite sure that's what the victims of the 'Staff Incident' have learned," the Jedi commented solemnly as he stroked his beard.

"..." The flower girl's face grew red once more. "Alright, that's it," she then jumped up and started to run to the auburn-haired man. "Now you're gonna get it, Obi!" she exclaimed furiously.

"Uh oh," Obi-Wan thought out loud as he looked at the angry flower girl in pink charging at him. Instantly, he channeled the Force through his body and leaped to the roof of the house, landing quietly to not disturb the people in the house.

_Now that I think about it_, the Jedi thought as he landed, _Elmyra and Cloud haven't complained about our noisiness. I'm surprised that they could actually sleep through our ruckus_.

"How-...?" Aerith wondered out loud from the ground, looking in disbelief at the Jedi on the roof. Then, she recalled something and snapped her fingers. "Oh yeah, the Force thingy," she said to herself. The flower girl then looked up at Obi-Wan and said, "Hey, Obi! I'm not angry anymore. You can come down now."

"That is a blatant lie," the robed man stated as he straightened his robe. "I think I'll stay up here for a while."

"...Clever..." Aerith murmured as she tapped her chin in wonder.

"In fact, I'll sleep here for tonight," Obi-Wan announced from the roof.

This startled the flower girl. "What? Won't you get sick?" she asked with concern.

"The Force will keep me warm," the auburn-haired man pointed out.

"Oh, the Force thingy," the brunette said as she scratched her head. Then, a serious expression returned to her face and she said, "I'm still not done with you. I'll get you tomorrow, Obi!"

"I'll keep that in mind," the Jedi assured as he sat on the edge of the roof. "Anyway, have a good night," he said as he waved at the girl below.

"Good night!" the flower girl said cheerfully, her annoyed expression disappearing in an instant. She then walked into the house and closed the door.

_What a day_, Obi-Wan thought as he moved toward the middle of the roof. He adjusted his robe as he prepared to sleep. _Hopefully, I won't fall off_, he jokingly thought.

After several minutes, Obi-Wan fell asleep.

* * *

><p>…<p>

Hours later, Cloud woke up from his slumber in his dark room. _I must've fallen asleep_, he thought as he got up from the bed. He took his buster sword and quietly opened the door, looking both ways before stepping out of the room. The blonde saw that everyone's rooms were dark. _Everyone's still asleep_, he judged. _Good._

The ex-SOLDIER slowly tiptoed to the stairway, making small creaking noises in the process. Silently cursing at the wooden floor, he went downstairs and slowly left the house.

"Ah, there we go," Cloud said out loud victoriously after he closed the front door. "I am still as stealthy as-"

"...Mr. Strife?" a sleepy voice of a man groggily said from nowhere.

Cloud froze in alert. He then looked around to see where the sleepy voice came from. _Who was that?_ the ex-SOLDIER thought.

"Up here," the sleepy voice said with a yawn.

The blonde immediately looked skyward. He then spotted someone on the roof of Aerith's house.

Much to his surprise, it was Obi-Wan. The robed man was peaking down at the ex-SOLDIER at the rim of the roof.

"How did you get up THERE?" Cloud asked in disbelief, keeping his voice low.

"I jumped," the auburn-haired man groggily said honestly.

"Seriously..." the blonde said as he shook his head, ignoring the robed man's reply. He then realized something. "Wait," he began slowly. "Were you sleeping up there?"

"That is correct," Obi-Wan answered as he rubbed his eyes.

Before Cloud asked why, the robed man answered, "I have irritated Aerith to the point where she decided to get me back. I'm planning to stay here until that girl forgets about it."

"She probably won't," the ex-SOLDIER commented.

"Perhaps," Obi-Wan said with a shrug. Then, he stroked his beard and began, "Speaking of Aerith, I saw her leave this house just a few minutes ago."

This startled Cloud. "Wait, what?" he half-exclaimed, trying to keep his voice down to not wake up the sleeping Miss Gainsborough.

"Why are you so surprised?"

"Err..." Cloud stuttered. "I was planning to leave without her. It's too dangerous."

"I was just letting you know," Obi-Wan said as he returned to his spot on the roof, disappearing from Cloud's vision. His voice then continued, "She'll probably still find you even if you try to sneak past her, bodyguard." He then became quiet, presumably asleep.

The worried ex-SOLDIER only scratched his head. _This complicates things_, he thought. _What should I do?_ After much contemplating, he decided his choice. _I'll just sneak past her. It's not like Aerith can be stubborn enough to try and find me..._

_ …_

_ …_

_ Can she?_

Minutes later, Cloud walked through the slums, getting some glances from other people.

Then, as he walked through the buildings, the blonde bumped into a young man who was accompanied by two other men.

"Oh, sorry," the young man immediately said. "Wasn't paying attention."

"Alright," the ex-SOLDIER mumbled as he walked on. But when the three men started to chat, something caught his attention. He decided to eavesdrop.

"So I saw this girl in pink standing out in the open in front of the passageway to Sector 7," the young man that bumped into Cloud said to his friends. "I had this urge to mug her, ya know?"

"Why did you do that?" the second man said with an annoyed tone. "We're suppose to rethink our lives, remember?"  
>"Hey, don't worry," the young man said. "I quickly got over with it and went away without harming the girl."<p>

"...Why are we rethinking our lives anyway?" the third man asked with curiosity.

"Why, you think rethinking is not cool?" the first man questioned angrily.

"N-no! I was just saying. I'll shut up," the third man quickly replied.

_A 'girl in pink'... 'in front of the passageway to Sector 7'_, Cloud mused, satisfied with the information he earned. He then walked away from the group and started head to the said passageway.

After navigating through the complicating slums, the ex-SOLDIER stopped near the passageway and stood behind a metal structure. There was a huge, metal wall with a large hole that lead to the road to Sector 7. And in front of the entrance, the brunette flower girl stood, waiting for her bodyguard. She was also holding onto a staff.

_...Great_, Cloud thought grumpily as he peeked at the flower girl, who was still patiently waiting. _It's just as Obi-Wan said_. The blonde hated to admit it, but if it wasn't for the auburn-haired man, he would've walked straight into the brunette.

Cloud searched for any useful materia in his pocket. He then withdrew a 'Seal' materia. _Sorry Aerith_, the ex-SOLDIER apologized silently. _This is for your own good._ He focused on the materia on his left hand and stretched his right hand toward Aerith's direction. A strange mist escaped from Cloud's right hand as he whispered, "Sleep."

The mist surrounded the flower girl. She began to rub her eyes, then she yawned. A moment later, Aerith was on the ground, fast asleep as she still held onto her staff.

_There we go_, Cloud thought as he walked past the flower girl. Before he stepped into the entrance of the passageway, a different part of his mind said to him, _Aerith is asleep on the dirt road, vulnerable to any threats..._ The blonde looked at the sleeping brunette, then at the road ahead of him. _I'm not taking her with me_, he defiantly thought.

His different mind then countered, _Says the bodyguard_. The blond then talked back to it, _So, you just don't want Aerith to get hurt, is it?_

_Yes_, the different mind said.

_Alright_, Cloud said with a smirk. He hoisted Aerith's sleeping body onto his shoulder and brought her to a dark, secluded, enclosed space. The blonde gently put her against a metal wall and carefully stacked nearby metal plates around her, making a mini shelter of sorts.

_Happy now? She's invisible to others, now_, Cloud said victoriously to the annoying part of his brain. _Away from harm_, he added. The different part of the mind didn't reply.

Satisfied with his work, the ex-SOLDIER went back on the road and headed down the broken asphalt road that led to Sector 7.

Suddenly, a monster-sized pink playhouse with arms and firearms jumped in front of Cloud. It snarled menacingly at the ex-SOLDIER... with its front door.

_Oh, it's this silly piece of junk_, Cloud mused with his eyebrow raised. He took out his Buster Sword and readied his stance. "Bring it, you... playhouse," he said as he raised his weapon.

Seconds later, the playhouse lay on the road, crushed and slashed into pieces. The ex-SOLDIER searched the smoldering remains in case the playhouse monster had something of value. It had gil.

Cloud pocketed the money and navigated through the ruined asphalt road. But when he reached the end of the road, the blonde noticed that someone stood in his way.

It was Aerith Gainsborough, smiling as she waved at the ex-SOLDIER.

_...What the... _Cloud thought in surprise. He then remembered Obi-Wan's words before he left Aerith's home. _"She'll probably still find you even if you try to sneak past her, bodyguard."_

The flower girl ran to the blonde. "Good morning!" she said happily.

"...Uh..." was all that Cloud was able to say.

Aerith's expression then turned angry. "It's really, really uncivilized to make a flower girl fall asleep with a materia, you know?" she huffed as she put her hands on her hips.

"Wait, how did you know-" the blonde began, but was cut off by the angry brunette.  
>"I know the difference between falling asleep and getting hexed," she pointed out. Aerith swiftly turned her back on the ex-SOLDIER, her staff dangling on her back, and said grumpily, "What kind of bodyguard would hex his client, anyway?"<p>

"I was doing it for your safety," Cloud calmly replied. "How could I ask you to go along when I knew it would be dangerous?"

"Are you done?" Aerith asked, her tone still a little irritated.

The two remained silent. Eventually, Cloud asked with a sigh, "Do you want to follow me?"

"Of course!" the flower girl said as she turned to the ex-SOLDIER. "You're my bodyguard, after all."

"Do you promise not to cause any trouble?" the blonde asked.

"Yup!" Aerith said as a smile grew on her face.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah!"

"Positive?"

"You bet!"

"I can have your word?"

"Absolutely!"

"Then go home."

"Alright! I'll-" Aerith exclaimed happily, but then noticed what Cloud said. "Aw, Cloud!" she shouted as she huffed angrily.

"I'm just kidding," the ex-SOLDIER quickly said with a smirk.

"Oh," Aerith said in relief as she laughed. "Then, I have another request, bodyguard."

"What is it?" Cloud said as he grew serious again.

"Can we take a break?" the brunette asked as she put her hands behind her back.

Before the blonde ever answered the question, Aerith ran to the playground behind her and climbed to the top of a moogle-shaped slide.

"Cloud!" she called out as she sat on the children's ride. "Get over here!"

Cloud obeyed and climbed the slide and sat next to his client.

The two looked at the Plate above them for a while. Then, Aerith turned to her bodyguard and asked, "What rank were you?"

"Rank?" the blonde asked.

"You know, in SOLDIER," the flower girl said, her green eyes filled with curiosity.

"Oh..." Cloud murmured. He hesitated for a while as he looked away. Eventually, though, he answered, "I was First Class."

"...Just the same as him..." Aerith whispered to herself, almost inaudibly.

"The same as who?" the blonde asked.

"My first boyfriend," the flower girl answered.

_So, that's how she knew a bit about SOLDIERs_, Cloud thought as he looked at the brunette next to him. Another thought lingered in his mind. The blonde tried not to ask, but he lost the fight with his mind. "You were... serious?" he asked.

Aerith chuckled to herself. "No," she answered as her eyes stared off into the distance, "but I liked him for awhile..."

_I doubt that you only 'liked him for awhile'_, Cloud judged silently with a frown. He then noticed that the flower girl's eyes became distant and sad, and the ex-SOLDIER didn't like that. "I probably knew him," he began. "What was his name?"

The flower girl turned to her bodyguard, then shook her head with a chuckle. "It doesn't really matter," she said, the distant look leaving her eyes.

"...No, it probably doesn't," Cloud said with a small smile.

The two were then interrupted by the large Sector 7 gate opening near the playground. Seconds later, a large colorful carriage drawn by a yellow chocobo came out with a woman riding in the back.

"Huh?" Cloud murmured as he stood up and looked at the woman in the carriage. "Hey, back there..."

The ex-SOLDIER studied the lady. She was wearing a tight blue-purple dress that hugged on her body, revealing her lines.

_She's dressed like a whore_, the ex-SOLDIER thought in disgust. But when he looked at the face (which had heavy makeup), he was incredibly startled.

"Tifa?" he shouted incredulously as his eyes widened. _Of all the people..._

"That girl in the cart was Tifa?" Aerith asked as she looked at the woman. "Where was she going?" She then frowned and gave Cloud a suspicious look. "She looked kind of... _odd_..." the brunette said. She then hopped down the slide and ran after the cart.

"Wait!" Cloud shouted at Aerith, who was now quite far away. "I'll go alone! You go home!"

The stubborn flower girl didn't listen and continued to chase the carriage.

_I have a really bad feeling about this..._ the ex-SOLDIER thought as he shook his head. He then jumped off the slide and ran after Aerith.

* * *

><p>Obi-Wan woke up from his slumber.<p>

He had a dream. An unpleasant one.

_Jedi can have premonitions to dreams_, the auburn-haired man reminded himself as he stood up on the roof. He dusted his robes and gracefully jumped down to the dirt ground. As he walked into the house, the Jedi began to recall his important dream.

_There was a pillar_, Obi-Wan recalled. _A huge pillar. It was a support of some kind that held the part of the Plate in place._

He sat on the wooden chair, he continued to remember his grim dream. _Someone planted a bomb on it. It detonated and the part of the ceiling came crashing down. There were thousands screaming and then... silence..._

The auburn-haired man stroked his beard with concern. _There was another problem_, he continued to recall. _Aerith was in trouble. She was kidnapped by a well-dressed man with long hair._

His thoughts were interrupted by Elmyra, who just came downstairs to the living room. "Have you seen Aerith?" Elmyra asked with a concerned look.

"She's still not here?" Obi-Wan asked. "I saw her leaving the house at dawn."

"At dawn?" the middle-aged woman exclaimed.

"I wouldn't worry about it, ma'am," the Jedi immediately said. "Cloud went out at the same time, as well."

"Oh," Miss Gainsborough sighed, looking slightly relieved. But she was still worried for her daughter; the middle-aged woman didn't know much about the blonde.

The robed man was worried, as well. If every events transpired as it was set, terrible things were to happen. So, the Jedi stood up and headed for the front door.

"I'll be taking a walk," Obi-Wan stated with a smile as he opened the door.

"Be careful, Mr. Kenobi," Elmyra warned worriedly.

"Don't worry, miss," the Jedi said with a reassuring smile as he closed the door and began to walk to the slums.

_I'll be visiting that huge pillar, first_, Obi-Wan decided as he walked into the maze-like slums.

Focusing into the Force, the Jedi walked to the pathway to Sector 7. While he continued to walk, he noticed the smoldering remains of a certain playhouse-looking metal creature that roamed the asphalt road.

_Someone wasn't amused by the creature_, the robed man mused as he navigated through the ruined asphalt road. The Jedi kept his hand on the lightsaber on his belt, just in case a metal house-shaped robot decided to ambush him.

Much to the auburn-haired man's pleasure, he wasn't ambushed. Obi-Wan reached the end of the road and spotted the dirty playground he went to before. The Force continued to lead the Jedi through the playground. Eventually, Obi-Wan went in front of the huge Sector 7 gate once more.

Using the Force, the robed man waved his hand, causing the mechanical gate to open.

Several feet in front of him was the huge, metal pillar that held the Plate in place. _Quite dangerous_, Obi-Wan mused. _If that pillar is destroyed, _many_ people will die._

Much to the Jedi's relief, there were no disturbances around the pillar. However, Obi-Wan remained alert. But he realized that he was in a dilemma.

_The destruction of this pillar and the kidnapping of Aerith happen at a very similar time_. Obi-Wan mentally slapped himself. _What am I going to do now?_

…

…

…

_I need a drink_, the Jedi said to himself as he rubbed his temples in frustration. He remembered that a bar was close to where he was. The auburn-haired headed for the place as he contemplated.

_I can't be at two places at one time_, Obi-Wan thought to himself as he stepped into the building. He then realized that the place was completely empty. There was no one at the bar, as well. The only sound came from the jukebox at the corner, which was quietly playing a jazzy tune.

_Looks like no one is home_, the auburn-haired man thought as he turned around to leave the place.

He then heard something click.

_...What?_ Obi-Wan thought as he turned around. Much to his surprise, the pinball machine started to lower, revealing a square hole with light coming out of it. The Jedi stood absolutely still.

"...I'll be takin' a nap, then," a masculine voice said rather grumpily as the platform started to rise again. A tall muscular black man with a gun-arm stood on the platform.

The mystery man then noticed the robed man standing in the entrance.

His jaws dropped.

Obi-Wan, although incredibly surprised, tried to remain calm at the sight. "Um... Hello there," the Jedi began as he smiled.

The gun-armed man stood absolutely still with his eyes wide open. If it wasn't for the jukebox, the whole place would have fallen dead silent.

"Err..." the robed man began again. "That's a nice elevator."

"...Yeah," the gun-armed man finally replied. "It leads to the rec room." He then forced a smile and added reassuringly, "Yeah."

"Hmm," Obi-Wan murmured as he stroked his beard. "I should probably leave."

"Yeah, you should," the tall man said with a nod.

But all of a sudden, more voices shouted from beneath in the secret room. One of the voices shouted, "For AVALANCHE!" The rest repeated.

The two men became silent once more. And because the jukebox finished its last song, everything became uncomfortably silent.

Obi-Wan's eyes widened in realization. "This is no ordinary bar..." he murmured as he looked at the sweating gun-armed man. "It's the headquarters for AVALANCHE..."

The gun-armed man did not say anything in response. After glaring at the robed man then at the pinball machine behind him, he slapped his own face with his good hand.


	6. Questions That Lead to Questions

"_**To solve any problem, here are three questions to ask yourself: First, what could I do? Second, what could I read? And third, who could I ask?"**_

**FORGE THE PATH**

**Chapter VI: Questions That Lead to Questions**

"...So, this is the AVALANCHE headquarters," Obi-Wan said as calmly as he was able to.

"...Pretty much," Barret replied as he quickly walked to the only entrance of the building. He then stood still, staring at the robed man.

_He's trying to keep me from escaping_, the Jedi mused with his eyebrow raised. He then went to the seat in front of the bar. "I would like a soft drink," he announced as he sat on the stool.

The huge man was taken aback by the auburn-haired man's calmness. "Eh?" was all he was able to murmur as he scratched his head.

"This _is_ a bar, isn't it?" Obi-Wan asked as he placed his hands on the bar. "I am thirsty. Therefore, I would like a cup of soft drink."

"Er... uh..." the gun-armed man stuttered as he scratched his chin. He saw no problem with the customer drinking here, but he still did not trust the robed man enough to leave his post. So, he called out, "Marlene!"

A small brunette girl in a pink dress instantly came out the door at the farthest side of the drinking room. The robed man surmised that she was eavesdropping by the door at the other side. Marlene came running to her father. "What is it, daddy?" she asked nervously as she took a quick look at the auburn-haired customer.

"Um... Go give our customer a soft drink," Barret answered.

"Any drink?" Marlene asked.

"Jus' a minute," he said with a low voice. Then he turned to the robed man. "What would ya like... sir?" the gun-armed man asked.

"Any cheap one would be fine," Obi-Wan replied with a smile.

Barret didn't like how the man's answer was vague. He also didn't like how the robed man was so calm about the current situation. But, he decided not to say anything about it and comply. "Why don't you get him cola?" the gun-armed man suggested to his daughter.

The girl obeyed and quickly went to the bar. She prepared a large, cold cup of cola and handed it to the robed man. "That would be one gil," she added.

"Thank you," Obi-Wan said kindly as he handed one gil to the girl. Marlene received the bill and quickly ran to her father.

"Good work," Barret complimented as he patted his daughter. The girl gave a brilliant smile and hugged the gun-armed man. "You can go back to your room now," the father said with a smile. Marlene nodded and quickly retreated to the room.

"You know, I wouldn't escape to tell Shinra about this place," the Jedi revealed after taking a gulp from his cup of cola. He then turned his stool to fully face the boss of the AVALANCHE.

"Oh really?" Barret said with his eyebrow raised. "I don't trust ya," he said, not budging from his spot in front of the entrance.

"That's understandable," Obi-Wan said. He took another gulp from his cup. "This drink is good," the robed man commented as he looked at the cup of cola in his hand.

"It's cola. What did ya expect?" the gun-armed man asked with a smirk. He then quickly returned to his serious posture. "How should I know if I can trust you?"

"I have no answer to that question," Obi-Wan replied calmly as he drank his cola.

"The hell?" Barret shouted as he began to lose his cool. He then turned to the pinball machine and shouted, "Biggs! Jessie! Wedge! Get over here!"

The pinball machine platform descended to the secret lower level. Few moments later, two men and one woman came up to the bar on the platform.

"What is..." Biggs began. But, he then realized that a civilian was in the bar, looking at them. The man in green was now worried; their secret headquarters was revealed. "Aw... crap..." Biggs murmured as he paled.

The other two were equally concerned. "Oh no, what's gonna happen to us?" Wedge squeaked as he stared at the auburn-haired man.

"What are we gonna do about... him?" Jessie asked Barret as she pointed at the robed man.

"I dunno!" Barret furiously shouted. "First, block off this door!" he commanded as he pointed at the entrance. "We'll think about what to do afterward."

_I have a funny feeling about this_, Obi-Wan mused as he finished his cup of cola.

* * *

><p>After chasing after the carriage, Aerith arrived at a bustling bazaar called the Wall Market. Cloud caught up a minute later.<p>

_Why am I getting a feeling that the name of this place is not completely original?_ the ex-SOLDIER thought.

The buildings were all made of metal and spare bricks. There were item, weapon, and materia stores in many places. Neon lights flashed everywhere. People toured around with a good amount of gil in their pockets. For a bazaar in the slums, it was quite a place.

However, there were still no-good slum dwellers that loitered around the bazaar looking for trouble. Pickpocketing was the least of their crimes.

"This place can be really scary, especially for a girl," Aerith explained to Cloud. "So, we've got to find Tifa fast."

"Alright, lead the way," the blonde said.

"...Didn't you hear me?" the flower girl asked with her eyebrow raised. "This place can be really scary, _especially for a-_"

"Look, I heard that," the ex-SOLDIER said as he scratched his head. "But, you were the one chasing the carriage, so you should lead the way."

"But that would leave me out in the open!" Aerith complained.

"Hey, I'm going to be right behind you!" the blonde retorted, getting annoyed. "Besides, if you're behind me, you might get kidnapped or somethin' while I'm not looking!"

"What if..." the flower girl began. But, she soon realized the logic behind Cloud's idea. He was undoubtedly correct. "...Oh..." was all she murmured.

"Hey, I got your back, alright?" Cloud reassured as he regained his calm posture. "You got nothing about while I'm here."

After a moment, Aerith replied with a smile,"Alrighty, then. I hope I can count on you." With that, she began to navigate through the maze-like bazaar.

_Geez, she can be really feisty at times_, the ex-SOLDIER mused as he rubbed the back of his neck. He then followed his client deeper into the bazaar.

The two ended up in the corner of the bazaar. There was only one large building in the place: the Honey Bee Inn. Bright pink and yellow neon lights flashed around the inn. Also, many men were gathered around the place.

_That's no ordinary inn_, Cloud thought as he looked at the building. He then tapped Aerith's shoulder and said, "I think I should handle this."

The flower girl nodded as she took a step back. The blonde then went up to a middle-aged man in the entrance.

"Welcome!" the man greeted Cloud. "Even unpopular dweebs like you may meet their destiny here! You looking for a girlfriend, too?"

"You know a girl named Tifa?" the ex-SOLDIER asked.

The man chuckled. "Hey, you're pretty fast," he commented. "Tifa's our newest girl. But, unfortunately, she's having an interview right now." He took a moment to breathe and continued, "Here at the Honey Bee Inn, it's customary for all the new girls to be taken to Don Corneo's mansion."

"Who's Don Corneo?" the blonde asked.

"Don Corneo's a famous dilettante," the middle-aged man answered. "Now, he wants to settle down and is in the market for a bride."

"Alright," Cloud murmured as he went back to Aerith. The brunette smiled when she saw her bodyguard coming to her.

"So, how did it go?" the flower girl asked.

"Tifa's currently at Don Corneo's mansion," the blonde replied as he crossed his arms.

"Who's Don Corneo?"

"Apparently, he's some art-loving big shot," Cloud answered.

"So..." Aerith began as she tapped her chin in wonder, "where do you think Don Corneo is?"

"At a mansion, of course," the ex-SOLDIER replied with a small shrug. "Let's go," he said as he began to walk back into the bazaar.

"Wait, how are we gonna know which mansion is Don Corneo's?" the brunette asked.

"Isn't it obvious?" Cloud asked with a smirk. "Who in these slums would actually own a fancy mansion other than Don Corneo?"

"No one," Aerith answered without much difficulty. She then realized what her bodyguard was getting at. "Oh, now I get it!" she exclaimed happily.

"Alright then," the blonde said as he began to walk again. "Let's find the fanciest mansion in this bazaar."

The search went faster than expected. After a minute passed during the tour through the bazaar, the two easily spotted the mansion at the farthest side of the bazaar.

"That was easy," Aerith thought out loud as she looked at the huge mansion decorated with neon lights.

Cloud immediately ran to the mansion with his client following behind. At the front door, there were a handful of stalls that covered the place. There was also a tough looking doorman dressed in slovenly clothes, standing right in front of the front door.

"Is this Don Corneo's mansion?" the ex-SOLDIER asked.

"You got that right," the doorman said in a tone that was anything but polite.

"Can I go in?" Cloud asked right after the untidy man finished his sentence.

The two did not say anything for several seconds. Soon, the ruffian gave a heartless laughter and said, "Look, the Don's not into men. So don't let me catch you around here again."

"I'll take that as a 'no'," the blonde murmured with a frown and was about to leave with his client.

But before they turned to leave, the doorman turned to the flower girl and exclaimed, "Hey, and you got another cute one with you!"

Before Aerith tried to respond, Cloud announced out loud, "We're going." The two went away to one of the stalls and hid behind it.

"Hey, I got an idea," the enthusiastic flower girl said. "I'll go take a look. And, I'll tell Tifa about you." With that she tried to run back to the front door.

Before the brunette ever got close to the front door, Cloud whispered angrily, "No! You can't!"

After hesitating, Aerith returned to the hiding spot. "Why?" she asked in disappointment.

The bodyguard took a deep breath. "You DO know... what kind of... place this is... don't you?" he stuttered.

"Then what am I supposed to do?" Aerith asked with her eyebrow raised. "You want to go in with me?"

"Well, being a man, that will be pretty hard," Cloud replied as he scratched his head and gazed at the numerous stalls around them. "Besides, if I bust in there, it'll cause too much commotion."

Unbeknownst to the ex-SOLDIER, Aerith was silently laughing as she covered her mouth.

"But," Cloud continued to think out loud as he scratched his chin, "I just can't let you go in alone..." Realizing that there was no alternative option left, the blonde only murmured, "Oh, man..."

The flower girl was now completely ignoring her bodyguard. She was too busy stifling her laughter.

"First," the ex-SOLDIER finally concluded, "we need to find out if Tifa's alright."

After finishing with thinking, Cloud finally noticed that Aerith was laughing about something. "What's so funny, Aerith?" he asked as he turned to the laughing flower girl, whose face was now as red as her jacket.

"Cloud," she murmured as she tried her best to fight her laughter, "why don't you dress up like a girl?... It's the only way."

"What?" the ex-SOLDIER shouted incredulously as his eyes widened.

Aerith was now laughing like there was no tomorrow. Tears formed in her eyes from laughing too much. "Ha ha ha... Oh my stomach! Ha ha ha!" she laughed as she clutched her stomach.

"It's NOT a time to be joking around," Cloud stated assertively as he crossed his arms. _But, I wonder how I would look like as a girl_, he thought... _Wait, what am I thinking?_ "Great, Aerith. Now you got me _thinking_ about it," he groaned.

But the flower girl was nowhere to be found. She already ran to the front door. The ex-SOLDIER heard Aerith say to the doorman, "Just wait. I've got a cute friend I want to bring."

_…_

_ …_

_ ...Oh, you've got to be kidding me_, Cloud thought in defeat.

* * *

><p>"You are overdoing it," Obi-Wan stated. He was still sitting on his stool with the empty cup in his hands, looking at the AVALANCE team.<p>

The four members were working arduously with blockading the entrance to the bar. Barret brought a couch from a spare room and placed it vertically in front of the door. Biggs dragged jukebox and placed it next to the couch. Jessie and Wedge brought several bar tables and strengthened the blockade with them.

"No, we're not," Biggs stated assertively as he leaned on the wall next to the bockade. "You just saw what you shouldn't have seen."

"It was certainly a bad timing," the Jedi said calmly as he looked his empty glass cup. He then looked up at Barret and asked politely, "May I have another cup of cola?"

Barret replied by shooting the cup from Obi-Wan's hand, shattering the glassware into pieces.

"...How uncivilized," the robed man murmured with a frown, unfazed by the gun-armed man's action.

"Damn it!" the huge leader fumed in response. "You ain't getting away to Shinra!"

"What if I told you that I do not work for Shinra?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Like hell I'd believe that!" Barret shouted. "You smell jus' like Shinra!"

_Speaking of Shinra..._ the auburn-haired man mused as he stroked his beard. He then turned to the fuming gun-armed man and said, "I wouldn't fault you for smelling that. I met a SOLDIER not too long ago."

Everyone fell silent.

_Perhaps I shouldn't have said that_, Obi-Wan thought as he turned his back on AVALANCHE and face the empty bar in front of him. _This stool is quite comfortable_, he randomly thought.

"...How... did he look like?" Jessie asked, finally breaking the silence in the bar.

The Jedi turned on his seat back to the terrorist team and replied, "He had shining blue eyes, spiky blonde hair-"

"Cloud!" Wedge exclaimed as he interrupted the auburn-haired man.

"Cloud!" Biggs said with excitement.

"That's Cloud," Jessie exclaimed as well, excited to hear that the ex-SOLDIER was alive.

"W-Wait a sec," Barret said as he pointed at the robed man with his good finger. "Jus' how long ago was this?"

"I met him yesterday," Obi-Wan answered calmly. "The last time I saw him was today at dawn."

"...So spikey's still alive..." the gun-armed man thought as he smiled. But the expression quickly died out and he shouted at the auburn-haired man, "Where's he?"

"I do not know," the Jedi answered honestly. He decided not to mention about the blonde being Aerith's new bodyguard. "I was too tired to ask him where he was going."

Barret growled in response. He then noticed something and pointed his gun-arm at the robed man. "Hang on, you could be lying 'bout this!"

"I am not lying," Obi-Wan said.

Biggs, Wedge, and Jessie only nervously looked at Barret and Obi-Wan. Fearing that the argument can turn into something more violent, Biggs intervened by stepping between his boss and the mysterious robed man. "Alright, let's take a break," the man in green happily said. "We can-"

Biggs never finished what he tried to say, because Barret took Bigg's arm and flung him to a wall, knocking him unconscious. Wedge squeaked in fear as he cowered in the corner. Jessie ran to the unconscious man and helped him lie on his back.

"This is... getting out of hand," Obi-Wan said as he stood up from his stool, his eyebrows knitting together.

"Don't gimme that!" Barret angrily shouted as he approached the robed man. "You're gonna tell us the truth, or else."

The two now stood face to face. The gun-armed man towered over the Jedi, but the auburn-haired man was still unfazed. He, however, was beginning to look rather annoyed.

"I am telling the truth," Obi-Wan said slowly to get his point across. "I do not work for Shinra and Cloud is alive and is somewhere out there in the slums."

Barret stood at his spot, glaring at the man in front of him. But soon, his gaze softened, and he stepped back and sat at the nearest chair. "...Alright," the gun-armed man murmured.

Jessie and Wedge noticed their leader's sudden change of mood. Slowly, Jessie stood up and walked up to the robed man. "...Sorry about him," she apologized quietly. "...This is the first time we were ever discovered by a civilian, so he..."

"It's quite alright," Obi-Wan replied with a small smile.

"Yeah," Wedge said as he came out of his corner. "Barret's actually a good guy. He was worried sick about Clo-"

"Shut up!" Barret interrupted angrily as he glared at the fat man, causing him to flinch.

"So, now we are in good terms, correct?" the Jedi asked the leader of AVALANCHE.

"...Yeah," the gun-armed man replied.

"Then, I have a request."

"What kinda request?"

"I have actually... overheard something from several Shinra employees," Obi-Wan revealed.

This caught the attention of everyone in the room with the exception of Biggs, who was still unconscious.

"Seriously?" Barret asked as he got excited.

"I believe they are planning to do something with the huge, metal pillar in front of the Sector 7 gate," the Jedi said as he stroked his beard.

"Do what, exactly?" Jessie asked as she prepared for the worst.

"They are planning to destroy it," Obi-Wan announced calmly.

The whole room went silent. At that moment, the jukebox began playing its tune. Broken by the spell of silence, Barret exclaimed, "What?"

"That's insane!" Wedge piped up. "That will kill not only us, but everyone in Sector 7... Heck, even the people above Sector 7!"  
>"...So that's Shinra's move..." Jessie murmured with concern.<p>

"...What's Shinra's move?" Biggs asked groggily as he gained consciousness. He then stood up as he leaned against the wall next to him.

"Shinra's planning to destroy the Sector 7 Pillar," the woman replied.

"...Jokes are meant to be _funny_," Biggs slowly commented as he tried to force a laugh.

"It's not joke," Wedge said quickly.

"Aw, what the..." the man in green murmured as he rubbed his temples. "Aw, Planet! What are we gonna do?"

"'What are we gonna do'?" Barret repeated in disbelief as if Biggs chanted an ancient forbidden spell. "We're gonna defend that damn pillar, that's what we're gonna do!"

Obi-Wan was concerned about this situation. _I'm getting a bad feeling about this_, he thought as he looked at the four AVALANCHE members who were now discussing this matter. The robed man then walked to the team and announced, "I'll accompany you four for a short time."

"Look man, we're talkin' SHINRA here," Barret pointed out, immediately rejecting Obi-Wan's plan. "We're the professionals when it comes to Shinra, so you should jus' step out this."

"I'm sorry, sir," Jessie apologized to the robed man. "But, this could get really ugly. It's best if you not follow us."

_I'm still going to follow_, Obi-Wan thought stubbornly. _Not until this strange bad feeling disappears_. "I promise I will leave when Shinra shows up," he said assertively.

After a brief moment, Barret said, "Alright, fine. But you gotta run away like hell if we tell you to."

This relieved the Jedi. "Thank you," he said with a smile.

* * *

><p><em>Me? Dress up as a girl? No way!<em>

Cloud was not prepared to dress up as a girl. It was simply... undignified. "Aerith!" he began. "I can't-"

"You ARE worried about Tifa, aren't you?" Aerith interrupted with a mischievous smile on her face. "Then come on, hurry!" With that, she ran back to the bazaar.

_Oh my Planet_, Cloud thought grimly as his legs began to weaken. _This is not happening... _"Aerith! Wait up!" With that, the ex-SOLDIER followed the flower girl back to the bazaar.

When Cloud caught up with the brunette, Aerith already found a dress shop and was standing right in front of the entrance.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" the flower girl happily said. "Let's go!"

"Wait wait wait!" the blonde stuttered as he immediately grabbed his client's arm. "I don't think this is a good idea."

"Why?" Aerith asked.

"Think!" Cloud said as he pointed at his own head. "I'm a man, and I have manly features. Even if wear all the girl stuff, everyone will immediately know that I am a man!"

"Where there's a will, there's a way," the flower girl said with a smile.

"Aw, c'mon!" the blonde said as he rubbed his temples. "This plan will obviously not... Wait a minute." He then glared at the brunette and said in a low voice, "You're not doing this for your own strange pleasures, are you?"

"Eh?" Aerith gasped. After a moment of silence, she laughed. "Ha ha ha! My 'own strange pleasures'? Ha ha ha."

"...You're blushing," Cloud said with an irritated tone. "You're obviously thinking about _it_."

"Oh, don't be silly, you," the flower girl said, trying to hide the blush on her face with her hands. "It's just because I'm... laughing!"

"Don't lie to me," the ex-SOLDIER said. "And there must be a better way than dressing up as a woman!" He then crossed his arms and said, "For example, how about you seduce the doorman while I sneak past him and find Tifa?"

The two became silent. Truthfully, Cloud only impulsively spat the idea out. But, when he carefully thought about it, the blonde immediately became embarrassed. "Oh..." he murmured as he scratched his head. "Cancel what I said."

Aerith only tapped her chin in thought, looking at the ground. Then, she looked up at her bodyguard and said, "Yeah. You should probably forget about it."

"Yes..." the ex-SOLDIER murmured quietly.

"...Well, let's stop wasting time and get you dressed up!" the flower girl exclaimed as she ran into the dress shop.

_Oh my Planet_, Cloud thought regretfully as he walked inside.

* * *

><p>Obi-Wan sat right next to the Sector 7 Pillar as the rest of the AVALANCHE team ran up the metal stairway. Not sensing any disturbances nearing the metal structure, the Jedi meditated in the Force and attempted to commune with Luke Skywalker once more.<p>

_Luke_, Obi-Wan began as he closed his eyes, _it is I, Ben Kenobi. Can you hear me?_

No answer. Only several shouts from Barret, who probably got angry with one of his teammates, was heard.

_Still no response_, the Jedi thought in defeat. _I cannot even feel his presence. Just how far am I from Luke?_

Suddenly, an idea formed in the auburn-haired man's mind as the light bulb in his head began to shine. _Master Yoda!_ he exclaimed in his mind, excitement bubbling up. _Why haven't I thought of it before?_

Immediately, Obi-Wan attempted to connect to Yoda. The Jedi immersed himself into the Force with hope.

He failed.

_Well, that was a slight disappointment_, Obi-Wan thought with a frown. _Let's try Master Qui-Gon._

He failed again.

To the auburn-haired man, this failure was more shocking than the previous one. _I was able to commune with Master Qui-Gon when I was in Tatooine_, he thought as he stroked his beard with concern. _What is the meaning of this?_

The Jedi contemplated of this matter for minutes. Eventually, the man fell asleep.

…

…

…_I'm back in a dream_, Obi-Wan stated as he looked at his surroundings. Everything was pitch black. There was nothing around him. It was as if the Jedi was placed in a black paper.

_Jedi..._ a mysterious croaking voice said.

_It's that voice again_, the robed man thought out loud.

_Jedi..._ the voice repeated.

_Can you tell me who you are?_ Obi-Wan asked.

_Jedi...Jedi Kn... Jedi Kni... _the voice slowly worded out loud.

_Yes, I am a Jedi Knight_, the auburn-haired man said patiently.

_Jedi Knight_, the mysterious voice croaked.

_That is correct_, Obi-Wan said as a smile formed on his face.

_Jedi Knight..._ it began slowly.

_My name is Obi-Wan Kenobi_, the Jedi introduced.

_Mmm... Mhmm..._ the voice murmured softly as if it was in agreement. _Jedi Knight, O... O..._

Eventually, the voice was able to murmur, _Jedi Knight, Obi..._

_You are nearly there_, Obi-Wan encouraged.

* * *

><p>"This is absolutely..." Cloud murmured in embarrassment, "unacceptable. Crazy."<p>

"Oh, c'mon, Cloud!" Aerith exclaimed happily. "You look beautiful!"

The ex-SOLDIER was in the dress shop, changing into his new, blue, silky dress in the dressing booth.

But he wasn't just changing into a dress. The blonde also had to wear a blonde wig, a makeup, and several woman's items and accessories he had earned by-

_I don't wanna even think about it_, Cloud thought in embarrassment. After several tries, the ex-SOLDIER was able to fit into his outfit. He looked into the mirror in the booth and stared at the blonde woman.

_...Woah_, Cloud thought as he continued to stare at the mirror. _I do kinda look like a woman._ After inspecting himself, the blonde said, "Okay, I'm ready."

After he opened the curtain, Aerith immediately began to stifle her laughter. The owner of the shop carefully studied to cross-dresser and said with satisfaction, "Hm, not bad. This may be a new business for me."

The owner's daughter agreed. "Yeah, you're right. Should we try it?" She then turned to Aerith and Cloud and said, "Thanks for showing us something new. My father's got his motivation back now. So the dress is on the house."

As the ex-SOLDIER carefully walked out of the booth, Aerith shook her head and said, "Walk more nicely." She then proceeded to demonstrate a feminine way of walking. "Like this, Miss Cloud."

_'Miss Cloud'?_ Cloud thought as he followed the flower girl's directions. "What do you mean 'more nicely'?" the blonde asked with his eyebrow raised.

"Just like that," the brunette said when her bodyguard walked the way she wanted him to. "Oh, you're so cute, Miss Cloud."

_Oh please_... Cloud groaned as he stood still. He then noticed Aerith tapping her chin. _She's thinking about something_, he grimaced. _That can't be good for anything._

"Aah, I want one, too," the flower girl murmured to herself. She then turned to the owner and asked, "Do you have one that will look good on me, too?"

"One moment, please," the dress shop owner's daughter said as she looked through the dresses on display. Then she took out one pink dress and asked the flower girl, "How's this?"

"How about that one?" the owner asked as he pointed at the blue dress hanging on the wall.

"Father, what are you talking about?" the daughter asked incredulously. "This one's MUCH better."

"What are you saying?" the dress shop owner asked in disagreement.

When the two seemed like they would never get to an agreement, Aerith decided to choose the dress herself. She walked to the dresses hanging on display. After several seconds of searching, the brunette's green eyes lit up. "I want this one," she said to the two as she pointed at one of the dresses.

"Huh?" both gasped simultaneously.

"I'm going to go change," Aerith said as she took the red dress and walked into the dressing booth. As she closed the curtain, she said, "No peeking!"

Soon, the flower girl emerged from the booth. Except she no longer looked like a flower girl. Aerith had changed into a red dress that would catch the attention of all men in the slums. Also, her pink ribbon was replaced with a golden one and her long, once-braided hair now flowed freely.

"So?" Aerith began as she turned to Cloud. "How do I look?"

_...What are we doing?_ the cross-dressed blonde thought in embarrassment. He only shook his head in response.

The flower girl put her hands on her hips. "Oh, you're no fun!" she huffed.

* * *

><p>Before the mysterious voice got past 'Jedi Knight, Obi', Obi-Wan woke up.<p>

"Blazes," the Jedi murmured in disappointment. "I still do not get the meaning of that dream."

The auburn-haired man stood up and looked skyward at the pillar. He was able to see Barret and his crew looking out for any suspicious movements. Currently, everything was quiet and no suspicious activities were spotted.

_Something will definitely happen today_, Obi-Wan thought as he looked around. _I can feel it through the Force._

The Jedi sat down at his spot and thought about the dream he just had.

_The voice was trying to say my name_, he thought. _He seemed to have trouble saying it, though. I wonder why._

"Woah!" Barret suddenly shouted from the topmost level of the pillar.

_Could it be?_ Obi-Wan thought in alarm as he immediately stood up and looked at where the AVALANCHE team lodged.

"Sorry! I just found 50 gil in my pocket!" the gun-armed man instantly apologized to his team and the robed man at the bottom.

_...Oh..._ the auburn-haired man mumbled silently as he sat back down. _From your voice, you __almost sounded like you just saw Cloud dress up as a woman_, he sarcastically thought.

* * *

><p>"Damn! Your friend's hot, too!" the doorman shouted as his jaws dropped.<p>

_...Aw, what the..._ 'Miss Cloud' thought as he mentally smacked himself. The flower girl next to him only giggled.

"Come in, come in!" the ruffian said as he turned to the front door. He knocked on the door and shouted, "Two ladies coming in!"

"See? I told you it would work," Aerith whispered happily.

"Yeah, I guess," Cloud mumbled as he fixed his wig.

When the doorman opened the front door, the two entered the mansion and went to the hexagonal lobby. The whole place was made of fancy red wood and designed to look oriental.

_Nice place_, the ex-SOLDIER thought as he studied the room. There was a well-dressed receptionist standing behind a table and a stairway that lead to the walkway above.

"Hey, ladies," the receptionist began as he straightened his black suit. Cloud went to the man as Aerith followed behind. "I'll go and let the Don know you're here," the well-dressed man said. "Wait here. Don't go wandering around." With that, he stepped into the door behind him and disappeared into the unknown room.

"Now's our chance," Aerith whispered to her bodyguard. "Let's find Tifa."

Cloud nodded and headed upstairs with the brunette following behind. The wooden walkway lead to three doors. One door was locked, the second door was big and fancy... and locked, and the third was wide open. "Let's look over there," the ex-SOLDIER whispered to the woman in red behind him.

The open doorway lead to a long stairway. But, the stairway was made with concrete and it led to a dark room beneath. Preparing for the worst, the two headed downstairs.

Cloud and Aerith ended up in a dark, cold room that looked like a torture chamber. There was a large, metal table with a human-shaped white outline drawn onto it. There were also shackles lying around. A fireplace was the only thing that kept the room from going below zero degrees Celsius. But most importantly, Tifa stood unharmed at the farthest side of the room.

_Tifa, thank the Planet you're safe, but what's with the dress and the makeup?_ Cloud thought as he stared at his friend in a blue, slutty dress with heavy makeup.

Before the bar hostess said anything, Aerith said, "Tifa? Nice to meet you. I'm Aerith. Cloud's told me a lot about you."

_Not a lot, actually_, the ex-SOLDIER tried to say, but withheld it in the end.

After a moment of thinking, Tifa realized something and said, "Hey, you're the one with Cloud in the park..."

"Right. With Cloud," the flower girl said with a happy nod.

"Oh..." the bar hostess mumbled as she looked downcast.

"Don't worry," Aerith quickly said as she noticed the disappointment in Tifa's voice. "We just met. It's nothing."

"What do you mean, 'Don't worry'?" Tifa asked as she quickly returned to her normal standing posture. "No, it's a misunderstanding. Cloud and I grew up together. Nothing more."

Although Aerith could have sworn that the woman in blue sounded a little forced when saying the last part, she eventually disregarded it and said with a smirk, "Poor Cloud, having to stand here and listen to both us call him 'nothing'."

Tifa turned to Cloud, but did not realize that the blonde 'lady' in front of her was actually her friend.

"Right, Cloud?" the flower girl asked.

"...Cloud?" the bar hostess hesitantly said at the cross-dresser. She then fully recognized him, but was incredibly disturbed.

"Cloud?" she shouted in disbelief. "Why are you dressed like _that_? And what are you doing here?"

Before the ex-SOLDIER ever got the chance to answer the question, the fighter cut him short and said, "Forget that! What happened to you after your fall? Are you hurt?"

"Hey, give me a chance to explain," Cloud interrupted before Tifa continued to ravingly throw in questions. "I'm dressed like this because there was not other way to get here."

The bar hostess tried to ask another question, but the blonde immediately said, "I'm alright. Aerith helped me out."

Tifa opened her mouth to say something, but she only mumbled, "Oh, Aerith did."

_Now, it's my turn_, Cloud thought. "Tifa, explain. What are you doing in a place like this?"

"Er... Um..." the woman in blue stuttered as she tried to answer the question. She stared at Aerith, then at Cloud. "Yeah, um..."

"Ahem! I'll just plug my ears," the flower girl, realizing her presence was making things uncomfortable, announced. She walked to the farthest corner of the room and plugged her ears with her fingers.

"I'm glad you're okay," Tifa said in relief, finally calming down.

"Thanks," Cloud replied. "What happened, anyway?"

"When we got back from the fifth Reactor, there was this weird man," the AVALANCHE member began. "So, Barret caught him and squeezed some information out of him."

"...And that's when the Don's name popped up," the ex-SOLDIER continued for the bar hostess, realizing what had happened in his absence.

"Right, Don Corneo," Tifa said with a nod. "Barret told me to leave the lecher alone, but something's been bothering me."

"I see," Cloud said. He would've crossed his arms if it weren't for his uncomfortable silk dress. "So, you wanted to get the story straight from Corneo's mouth."

The bar hostess nodded. "So, I made it here," she continued, "but now I'm in a bind. Corneo is looking for a bride. Everyday, he gets three girls, chooses one of them, and then..." the AVALANCHE fighter paused.

"Anyway, I have to be the girl," she said. "Or, I'm out for tonight."

The blonde thoughtfully nodded as he scratched his chin. _So, that's what this is all about_, he said to himself.

Aerith, who was now staring at the bar hostess, admitted, "Sorry, but I overheard." She walked back to the AVALANCHE members and asked, "If you know who the three girls are, there's no problem, right?"

"I guess so," Tifa replied uncertainly, "but..."

"We have two here, right?" the flower girl cheerfully pointed out.

"No, Aerith!" Cloud immediately cut in. "I can't have get involved in this."

"Oh?" the woman in red said as she raised her eyebrow. "So, it's alright for Tifa to be in danger?"

_...Crud, she got me_, the ex-SOLDIER thought in defeat. However, he persisted and hastily said, "No, I don't want Tifa in..."

Ignoring the stuttering blonde, Tifa asked brunette, "Is it alright?

"I grew up in the slums," Aerith answered with a shrug. "I'm used to danger. I hope you trust me."

"Yes, I do," the bar hostess replied with a smile. "Thanks, Ms..."

"Gainsborough," the flower girl said. "Aerith Gainsborough. But, just call me Aerith."

Before the two continued to converse, the receptionist came to the doorway at the top of the stairway. "Hey!" he called. "It's time, ladies. The Don is waiting!" After the announcement, the man left the room and headed back to the lobby, mumbling to himself about something.

Shifting uncomfortably, Cloud said, "I probably don't need to ask, but the other girl is... me." He quickly added, "Right?"

With a sigh, Tifa replied, "You're right. There was no need..."

"...to ask," Aerith finished.

The ex-SOLDIER only scratched his head. While the three headed upstairs, the blonde began to wonder. _Relax, Cloud_, he thought. _It's not like _I'm _going to get picked, right?_

The three exited the cold room and walked into the huge, fancy door in the middle of the wooden walkway.

In the room, a fat man dressed in a fancy red jacket with a small patch of blonde hair on his head awaited behind his desk with the rest of his bodyguards standing at the corners of the room. This man was Don Corneo, himself.

As Aerith, Tifa, and Cloud entered the room, one of the bodyguards said, "Alright, ladies! Line up in front of the Don!" The three did as they were told to. Aerith stood at the left, Tifa at the right, and Cloud in the middle.

Don Corneo was stimulated by the sight of the women (at least, to him, even Cloud looked like a woman) and said, "Hmm... Good, splendid!" He jumped over his desk and walked up to Aerith.

"Now, let's see..." he whispered to himself with delight. "Which girl should I choose? Hmm..."

The Don then walked over to Cloud and studied him. "This one?" the dilettante murmured. The ex-SOLDIER only looked away, hoping the fat man would just move on.

To the blonde's relief, the man quickly moved on to Tifa. "Or, this one?" Don Corneo murmured. After much pondering, the dilettante moved back to the front of his desk and announced delightfully, "Woohoo! I've made up my mind! My choice for tonight is..."

The Don pointed at the 'woman' in front of him and shouted, "This healthy-looking girl!"

The 'woman' was Cloud.

_Wait, WHAT? _the ex-SOLDIER thought as he began to realize that he was chosen to be the Don's 'wife'. "W-w-wait a sec!" Cloud shouted with his masculine voice. Fortunately for him, Don Corneo was too excited to notice the problem.

"I mean, uh, please wait a moment!" Cloud shouted again, this time with a disguised feminine voice.

"Woohoo!" the dilettante exclaimed. "I love chicks who try to be difficult!"

The ex-SOLDIER only looked at Tifa with disbelief. The bar hostess was equally shocked, but she mouthed, _Hang in there_.

The blonde then hopelessly turned to Aerith. In contrast, the flower girl was stifling a laughter. She mouthed, _Don't panic._

At that moment, Don Corneo shouted at his lackies, "You can have the other ones!"

One of the bodyguards said, "Yes, sir!" The other said, "Thank you, sir!"

Satisfied, the Don turned to Cloud and said, "Well the, shall we go, my pretty?"

_Oh, for the love of..._, the ex-SOLDIER thought as he slowly nodded. With that, the dilettante led the 'winner' to his bedroom while the other two lackies led their girls to their rooms.

Minutes later, Don Corneo and Cloud were alone in the dilettante's bedroom. In the middle of the room was a large bed with colorful neon lights around it being the only source of light.

The Don was on his bed, panting like a dog. "Ah, we're finally alone," he whispered. "Alright, pussycat. Come to daddy!"

_Ah, crap. Here goes nothing_, Cloud thought as he walked to the side of the bed.

"You're so cute, I never get tired of looking at you," the fat man said in a slimy way, staring intently at the blonde in disguise. "Do you like me?"

"Ummm..." the ex-SOLDIER mumbled, thinking about what to say. _What should I say?_ he wondered as he tried not to look at the man in front of him.

"You don't like me?" Don Corneo asked as disappointment and anger grew in him. "There isn't someone else, is there?"

_Okay, I had enough of this bullcrap_, the blonde thought. "...There is someone else," Cloud replied with a feminine voice. "His name is..."_ What do I say? What do I say?_

"What is it? What's his name?" the Don asked quickly.

"Obi-Wan," the ex-SOLDIER instantly blurted. He then slowly realized what he said. _Why, in all living things, did I just say _OBI-WAN_?_ the blonde regretfully thought.

"Obi... what?" the dilettante tried to repeat, but failed to memorize the name. "Who's that low-life loser? Never heard of that name before."

"He's... a criminal," Cloud revealed to the Don. "From a far away land."

"No way! A bad boy?" Don Corneo shouted as he leaped back from the blonde. "You're into those kinda losers?"

"No," the ex-SOLDIER replied confidently, dropping his disguised voice.

"Woah, your voice-" the Don said, but was interrupted by the opening of his bedroom door. "What the...?"

At that moment, two women barged into the bedroom. They were the same women that contested to become the Don's wife, but they were back in their normal clothing. Tifa was dragging Cloud's Buster Sword while Aerith was carrying Cloud's normal SOLDIER uniform.

"Cloud! Here!" the flower girl exclaimed as she quickly handed the clothing to the ex-SOLDIER. Relieved to see his normal clothes, Cloud took his clothes and went behind one of the big props that were standing at the sides of the room.

"A man?" Don Corneo realized. "You tricked me! Somebody, get in here NOW!"

"No one will be coming to help you," Cloud's muffled voice said behind the prop. He was currently changing clothes.

"You two!" the fat man shouted in fear as he looked at the fighter and the flower girl. "You're the ones from before!... What the hell is going on?"

"Shut up," Tifa said as she handed the huge sword to the blonde, who now emerged from the prop and came back as Cloud, the ex-SOLDIER. The bar hostess then walked up to Don and said in an intimidating way, "We're asking the questions now. What did your _assistants_ find out?"

Don Corneo seemed to know the answer, but he sealed his mouth shut.

"Talk!" Tifa shouted. "If you don't tell us..."

"I'll chop them off," Cloud said as he put his foot up on the bed.

The fat man squeaked in horror, "No! Not that! I'll talk! I'll tell you everything!"

"Then talk," the fighter commanded.

After taking a deep breath, the Don began, "I made them find out where the man with the gun-arm was. But that's what I was ordered to do."

"By who?" the angry bar hostess interrogated, her eyebrows knitting together.

"No!" the frightened dilettante declined immediately. "If I told you that, I'd be killed!"

"Talk!" Tifa shouted again. She then reminded, "If you don't tell us..."

"I'll rip them off," Aerith said as she put her foot up on the bed, mimicking Cloud.

The fat man squealed and revealed, "It was Heidegger of Shinra! Heidegger, the head of Public Safety Maintenance!"

Cloud was slightly surprised by the answer. "The head of Public Safety Maintenance?" he wondered out loud.

"Did you say Shinra?" the AVALANCHE fighter shouted. "What are they up to? Talk!"

Don Corneo hesitated.

"If you don't tell us," Tifa reminded once again as she put her foot up on the bed, "I'll _smash_ them."

The Don paled at the horrifying act she was prepared to do. However, he asked slowly, "You're serious, aren't you? Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy."

The dilettante stared at the three gleefully. "I'm not fooling around here, either, you know?" he began. "Shinra's trying to crush a small rebel group called AVALANCHE and want to infiltrate their hideout." He then leaned closer to the three and said, "And they're really going to crush them, literally, by breaking the support holding up the plate above them."

Tifa looked alarmed as she took a step back. "Break the support?" she exclaimed.

"You know what's going to happen? The plate will go PING," the dilettante said with delight, "and everything's gonna go BAM! I heard their hideout's in the Sector 7 Slums. I'm just glad it's not here in Sector 6."

_They're going to wipe out the Sector 7 Slums!_ Cloud thought as he took a step back.

"They're going to wipe out the Sector 7 Slums?" Tifa asked incredulously, not realizing that she just had the same thought as the ex-SOLDIER. The bar hostess turned to Cloud and asked, "Cloud, will you come with me to Sector 7?"

"Of course, Tifa," the blonde replied. With that, Cloud, Tifa, and Aerith began to run to the door.

Before they reached the doorway, Don Corneo shouted, "Just a second!"

"Shut up!" the ex-SOLDIER shouted as he put his hand on the Buster Sword on his back.

"No wait, it'll only take a second," the dilettante, who was still on his bed, said. He then asked with as smirk, "Why do you think a scum like me would reveal the truth?"

"How the hell should I know?" Cloud asked.

"Wrong answer!" Don Corneo shouted as he flipped a secret switch on the bed. At that moment, the floor beneath the Cloud, Aerith, and Tifa opened up and the three began to fall into the dark hole.

_A trap door_, Cloud thought in defeat as he fell into the dark abyss below.

After several seconds of falling, the three hit the bottom, which was filled with piles of trash. Somehow, the trio was left relatively unharmed by the fall.

The ex-SOLDIER was the first to get up. He moved to the flower girl, who was lying on the ground next to him, and asked, "You alright?"

Aerith looked up. "...Yeah..." she murmured as she stood up.

The blonde also asked the bar hostess, who was also lying on the ground. "Man! This is terrible," she said as she stood up.

Cloud studied his surroundings. Apparently, they were in a dark, man-made cave with small streams of murky water flowing through its path.

"Looks like we're in the sewers," the ex-SOLDIER finally said to his friends.

"Well, the worst is over," the flower girl said optimistically.

As soon as she finished her sentence, a rumbling filled the place.

"Maybe not..." Aerith corrected herself quickly.

As seconds passed, the rumbling grew louder and louder.

"Something's coming," Cloud warned as he pulled out his Buster Sword. At the warning, Tifa adjusted her fighter gloves and Aerith pulled out her staff.

Because of the ex-SOLDIER's shining eyes, the place was dimly lit. But, that wasn't enough to see what was beyond the darkness in the sewers.

Seconds later, the source of the rumbling revealed itself. It was a giant, blue monster with horns sticking out of his hunchback and rusted shackles around his muscular arms. Its dark, purple eyes glared hungrily at the trio.

"It looks hungry," Tifa judged as she looked into the beast's eyes.

"Then, that's not good," Aerith commented as she stared at the monster.

Cloud did not take his time to make any comments. Instead, he lunged himself forward and raised his sword to slash the beast's belly. Noticing the blonde's movement, the sewer monster flung his arms at the ex-SOLDIER, successfully sending the man flying to the concrete wall.

"Cloud!" the fighter shouted as she ran to the beast, preparing for an attack. The blue monster attempted to perform a same flinging attack, but Tifa dodged the attack by rolling under its incoming arm and repeatedly punched the lower belly of the beast. The monster howled angrily and tried to stomp on the fighter.

"Hey!" Cloud shouted.

The beast stopped its action and turned to look at the wall where Cloud was smashed into. However, the ex-SOLDIER was no longer there. Suddenly, the monster felt a sharp pain in its hunchback.

Cloud had jumped and landed on the sewer monster's back, planting his sword into it in the process.

The monster howled as it violently shook, causing Tifa to take several steps back. The blonde tried to pull out the sword, but he lost his grip and fell to the ground. The Buster Sword was still protruding out of the beast's hunchback.

_That's not good_, Cloud thought as he looked at the beast, which was now glaring intently at the blonde. The ex-SOLDIER decided to use the lightning spell on the monster. If the lightning successfully hit the sword, which is planted deep on the beast's back, the monster's lungs would be fried in the matter of seconds.

"Hey! Pea-brain!" the flower girl suddenly shouted from nowhere.

"What the..." Cloud murmured as he canceled his spell. He was able to see Aerith on the other side running to the beast; Tifa was also running, presumably to stop the daring flower girl.

Aerith ran between the monsters leg and, with all of her might, swung her staff skyward at the beast.

The effect was incredible.

The blue monster howled in pain as it staggered backwards. It roared in anger, but wasn't able to attack the flower girl due to the pain it was in. The brunette only smirked.

"You..." Cloud began incredulously as he stared at the staggering monster, then at Aerith, who was standing at his other side. "You attacked its crotch."

"Both of you! Step back," Tifa shouted from Aerith's side. The ex-SOLDIER and the flower girl obeyed. Using the ice materia, the fighter conjured up an ice spell on the beast. Large ice shards formed around the groaning monster and pierced through its thick leathery hide. With that, the beast of the sewers was dead.

With a sigh of relief, Aerith said as she went to the blonde, "That was a close one."

"Not really," Cloud said coolly as he pulled the cold Buster Sword out of the dead monster's back. "I had it under control."

"Oh, please," the flower girl said with a smirk. "Your sword was stuck on the beast's back. You were unarmed."

"Which was a good thing," the ex-SOLDIER retorted. "My sword was acting as a lightning rod. If I used a lightning spell on my sword, the monster's insides would have been instantly fried."

"...Oh..." Aerith mumbled as she scratched her head.

"...But still, you did a good job," Cloud admitted.

"Thanks!" the flower girl said cheerfully.

The blonde then turned to Tifa. "Tifa, you alright?" he asked.

The fighter, however, was standing still, facing away from the two. "Tifa?" Cloud asked as he slowly approached her.

"It's too late..." she murmured quietly. "Marlene... Barret... The people of the slums."

Aerith walked to the bar hostess and said, "Don't give up. Never give up hope. It's not easy to destroy the pillar, right?"

After a moment of silence, the fighter nodded. "Yeah," she answered as she turned to them, "you're right! We still have time."

The flower girl nodded happily in agreement.

Cloud looked at the path in front of him. Not too far away from his team was a ladder that led to a manhole above. "Tifa, Aerith," he called out.

"Yes?" Aerith replied.

"I found an exit."

Cloud, Aerith, and Tifa climbed out of the sewers through the ladder. When they looked around, they saw wrecked trains and rubble everywhere.

_The 'train graveyard'_, Cloud thought. He then turned to the flower girl and began, "Aerith, I got you mixed up in all of this-"

"Don't tell me to go home," Aerith interrupted as she pointed at the ex-SOLDIER.

After studying the surroundings, Tifa said, "If we can just get past the trains that are lit up, we should be able to get out of here."

As the bar hostess said, Aerith and Cloud spotted several wrecked trains that were still lit up. "Well then," the blonde began, "let's go."

* * *

><p>Obi-Wan still remained at the first level of the pillar. He was sitting on the stairway, staring at the slums in front of him.<p>

"Hey!" Barret shouted from the top of the metal structure. "Hey! Robe guy!"

"Yes?" the Jedi shouted back at him.

"Ya sure Shinra's planning to attack?" the gun-armed man shouted. "It's getting really borin' up here!"

"I'm positive!" the auburn-haired man answered.

"Really positive?" the AVALANCHE leader asked.

"Yes!" Obi-Wan replied.

"'Kay!" Barret acknowledged, returning to his team.

The Jedi returned to silence as the AVALANCHE team searched the surroundings for any suspicious activity.

It has been hours since they all went to the pillar. So far, nothing strange was going on.

_I wonder if Aerith and Cloud are back_, Obi-Wan mused. He had no doubt that Aerith eventually joined Cloud with whatever he was planning to do.

_Speaking of plans_, the auburn-haired man thought, _I wonder what I am supposed to do in this planet_. The robed man knew that his warping to this planet from the Death Star was no accident. _There are no such things as accidents_, Obi-Wan thought nostalgically. _That is what Master Qui-Gon Jinn always taught me._

The robed man laughed. _Just how many years have passed?_ he thought. _For many years, I have trained as a Jedi. For many years, I have served as a Jedi Knight. For many years, I have spent most of my time, fleeing from the Empire._ The Jedi looked at his right hand. _And now_, he continued to contemplate, _I have become young again._

Obi-Wan laughed at the thought. _Heh, a fifty-seven year-old man that looks like a thirty-two year-old man._

After contemplating, the Jedi remained at his seat and went back to staring at the slums. Minutes passed and no suspicious activities were seen or felt. When Obi-Wan tried to stand up, he suddenly felt something trying to communicate to him through telepathy.

_Who is there?_ Obi-Wan inquired in his mind. He remembered the old man's voice from his dream. _The one from my dream, is that you?_

_Obi-Wan Kenobi_, the voice finally said. The voice, however, was not the one from his dream. It sounded younger and softer.

_Who is this?_ the Jedi asked.

_Obi-Wan Kenobi_, the voice repeated, this time more pleadingly.

_Are you okay?_ the auburn-haired man inquired with concern. _You don't sound too well._

The voice inaudibly murmured something. _...Cetra... by..._ was all Obi-Wan was able to pick up.

_'Cetra'? _Obi-Wan asked. _Who is Cetra? And what do mean by 'by'?_

The mysterious voice continued to say something, but the Jedi wasn't able to hear the words properly.

_I'm sorry, but I am losing you_, the Jedi said as he tried to connect with the voice.

_...Cetra..._ the voice murmured. Then, the voice fell silent. Several seconds later, the auburn-haired man was not able to feel the unknown speaker's presence.

"Odd," the robed man said as he stroked his beard. "Who was this speaker? And who is Cetra?"

After pondering on this matter, the Jedi attempted to connect with the mysterious speaker. However, he was unsuccessful.

"Blazes..." the Jedi Knight mumbled. Things were getting more mysterious and complicated as he spent more time on this unknown planet. He, however, knew one thing.

_The voice from my dream and the one I just communicated with are somehow linked together_, Obi-Wan thought with certainty. _I know it for sure._

The auburn-haired man remained at his seat, expecting the mysterious speaker to return. In the end, however, the speaker never did. The Jedi drowned in his own thoughts, once again.

_I wonder how Luke is doing_, the Jedi wondered. _Is he safe? Is he training as a Jedi? Did he learn the truth about his father? What is the emperor plotting? Who is winning the war? The Rebels, or the Empire?_

It frustrated the robed man how he had so many questions that were left unanswered. But as he continued to ask himself questions, he realized something interesting.

_Rebels and an empire_, he mused. _This planet has its own rebels and an empire. AVALANCHE and Shinra. I wonder, could there be a connection with that similarity and my warping here?_

Suddenly, Barret shouted from above, "Robed guy!"

"What is it?" Obi-Wan shouted back as he stood up and looked at the gun-armed man at the top of the pillar.

"Somethin's strange!" the leader shouted. "There's a helicopter far away from here! It's headin' straight over here!"

The Jedi then searched for the helicopter. He then spotted something flying from far away.

"Definitely Shinra, if ya ask me!" Barret shouted. "You should go home, man!"

"I can trust you and your team, correct?" the robed man asked.

"'Course, robed guy. We're AVALANCHE!" the gun-armed man shouted. "Now just get outta here before you get busted up!"

"Thank you for your help!" Obi-Wan shouted as he turned to go. As much as he wanted to help AVALANCHE defend the Sector 7 Pillar, the Jedi also had to prevent Aerith from getting kidnapped. Also, the auburn-haired man had a feeling that if everything went as Obi-Wan had planned, the pillar would not be destroyed.

…

…

…

But Obi-Wan still had a bad feeling about this.


	7. The Dark Presence

"_**There's a snake lurking in the grass."**_

**FORGE THE PATH**

**Chapter VII : The Dark Presence**

After minutes of trekking through the wreckage of the trains, Cloud, Tifa, and Aerith managed to reach the Sector 7 Train Station.

"Woo! We're back!" the flower girl exclaimed happily. "That was awesome!"

"That train junkyard was anything BUT awesome," the bar hostess said as she rubbed the back of her neck. "It was crawling with weird fiends that shoot lasers."

"At least the lasers didn't hurt that much," Aerith said. "Plus, the monsters made the place creepier."

Tifa turned to the brunette and asked with disbelief, "How do you see that as a good thing?"

"Well, the monsters intensified the adventure," the flower girl answered with a shrug. "It had that 'intense fun' factor, you know?"

"No, I don't," the fighter replied with a shake of her head.

While the two women chatted, Cloud thought with concern, _Oh man, how am I going to explain this to Ms. Gainsborough?_ The blonde then remembered something and said to himself, _Obi-Wan will probably defend me when I get into an argument with her... I hope._

Cloud then mentally slapped himself, thinking, _Cloud, you fool! You have a pillar to defend! Stop thinking about such trivial things!_

As the three went near the pillar, Tifa exclaimed happily, "We made it! The pillar's still standing!"

The ex-SOLDIER, however, had a bad feeling. He noticed that many people were gathered near the Sector 7 Pillar, and there were...

_...Gunshots? _the blonde thought. "Wait!" he shouted. "You hear something above us?"

Aerith became silent as she tried to hear the strange noise. "...Gun fire?" she then murmured at Cloud.

The three looked up at the pillar. They saw many muzzle flashes at the stairway. All the guns were pointed at one place: the topmost level of the pillar. The bullets traveled at high speed toward the people above. Eventually, one of the bullets hit a man standing at the top of the stairway. The wounded man fell off the pillar and fell to the ground, landing near Tifa and Cloud.

The man was Wedge. His chest was caked with blood.

Tifa covered her mouth in shock as she took several steps back. Aerith remained frozen at her spot, eyes wide in fear. Cloud immediately ran next to the fallen man and shouted, "Wedge! You alright?"

Wedge weakly turned his head to face the blonde and muttered in pain, "Cloud... You remembered... my name..."

"Damn it, Wedge!" the ex-SOLDIER shouted with anger. "I...!"

Ignoring the blonde's troubled look, Wedge whispered desperately, "Barret's up top... Help him... And Cloud... Sorry, I wasn't... any help..." With that, the AVALANCHE member slowly closed his eyes and no longer moved.

The blonde only shook his head. He stood up and announced, "I'm going up!"

Tifa then went to Aerith and said, "Aerith, do me a favor."

"W-what is it?" the flower girl asked, fear obviously in her.

"I have a bar called '7th Heaven' in this neighborhood," the fighter began. "There's a little girl named Marlene there."

With that, Aerith nodded with determination. "Don't worry," she reassuringly said. "I'll put her somewhere safe." The flower girl turned and ran in search of the bar.

After seeing the brunette run into distance, Tifa turned to the people surrounding the Sector 7 Pillar and shouted, "Everyone, it's dangerous here! Get out of this sector, now!"

The people complied and began to flee Sector 7, although some decided to stay behind for a while and continued to observe the pillar.

Cloud and Tifa ran to the pillar and began to climb the stairway. However, there were two soldiers ready to kill the ex-SOLDIER and the fighter. As the soldiers aimed their guns at the terrorists, Cloud swiftly sliced their guns in half and thrust his huge blade into one of the gunner's chest, instantly killing him. Tifa ran up to the other soldier and kicked the man's head, breaking his neck.

As the two continued to run up the stairs, they saw Jessie lying on the stairs. Her head was bleeding and her body was covered with bullet holes.

"Jessie!" Tifa shouted as she went next to the unfortunate terrorist.

Cloud checked for pulse as he put his fingers on Jessie's neck. No pulse was felt.

"She's dead," the blonde announced as he shook his head.

The bar hostess remained silent. After tearing her gaze off of her dead friend, Tifa stood up and said, "We have the help the others before it's too late!"

Cloud nodded in response. He and the fighter began to run up the stairs as they encountered several Shinra soldiers.

* * *

><p>Aerith and Marlene ran away from Sector 7 and began heading to Aerith's home. Finding the bar wasn't that difficult for the flower girl, and convincing the girl to follow wasn't hard, either.<p>

_...I hope Cloud and Tifa are okay_, Aerith thought sadly as she navigated through the slums and held onto Marlene's hand. _...The whole place has become a warzone._

"Are we nearly there yet?" Marlene interrupted the flower girl's thoughts as her legs began to grow tired.

"We're nearly there," the brunette replied with a reassuring smile. As she continued to run with Barret's daughter, another thought entered her mind. _What if Cloud and Tifa are too late?_

Minutes later, the two arrived in front of Aerith's home. _I made it!_ The flower girl thought with relief as she began to walk to the house.

"You are probably thinking, 'I made it', judging by your character," a mysterious voice said from behind.

Aerith and Marlene stopped walking. It did not take long for the flower girl to recognize the voice. "Tseng," she said slightly venomously as she turned around to face Tseng, the Turk. "I see your black hair is still as long as ever," Aerith commented. Marlene grew fearful as she looked into the Turk's dark eyes.

Tseng stood still from a good distance as he looked at Aerith and Marlene. As he walked to the two, he retorted calmly, "I see you are still naïve enough to leave bread crumbs behind your path. Finding you was easier than finding the moon."

"You would have no problem finding the moon," the flower girl spat back as she motioned for Marlene to step behind her. "Thousands of people here do not even know what a moon is."

"Perhaps, but let's cut the chat," the Turk said as he straightened his pressed, dark blue suit. "You will come with me."

"How about 'no'?" Aerith asked with her eyebrow raised.

"Then I will not guarantee the safety of that girl," Tseng said as he pointed at Marlene, who was now cowering behind the flower girl. "You may be adept at getting away from us, but I doubt that your little friend is."

The brunette glared at the long-haired man and said, "You wouldn't..."

The Turk only raised his eyebrow in reply.

Aerith looked at the man in front of her. She then turned to Marlene behind her. _...Don't_, the girl mouthed as she shook her head. The flower girl, however, sighed and began to walk to Tseng, leaving the hopeless Marlene behind.

"Hmph," Tseng let out in victory. "This was-"

The Turk, however, was not able to finish the sentence. He felt something small and hard hitting the back of his head. The man rubbed the back of his head and turned around. To his surprise, Tseng saw a robed man not too far from him.

"Your method of kidnapping a naïve flower girl is very... low," the robed man said as he dropped several rocks from his hand.

"Obi-Wan!" Aerith whispered inaudibly to herself in relief. "...Wait a minute," she said with a raised voice. "Did you just call me naïve?"

"Who are you?" Tseng asked Obi-Wan with annoyance filling him.

"Your challenger," the Jedi said as he approached the Turk.

"'Challenger'?" the well-dressed Turk repeated with an eyebrow raised. "Are you challenging me to a fight?"

"Yes," Obi-Wan said as he took off his robes and placed them on the ground. To Aerith's relief, the lightsaber was not on the auburn-haired man's utility belt.

"Hey! It's that scary man from the bar!" Marlene exclaimed in realization as she pointed at the Jedi.

"I'm not that scary," Obi-Wan quickly replied to the girl's comment.

Taking the initiative while the auburn-haired man was preoccupied, Tseng launched a punch at the man's nose. To his surprise, however, Obi-Wan quickly grabbed the Turk's fist with his right hand.

"Nice punch!" the Jedi complimented as he smiled, which infuriated the Turk.

"Obi-Wan! Watch out!" Aerith exclaimed.

Noticing the well-dressed man's free hand forming into a fist and approaching Obi-Wan's nose at high speed, the auburn-haired man immediately defended by grabbing the other fist with his free hand. With Tseng's hands in his, Obi-Wan instantly entangled them underneath his armpits and began headbutting the Turk.

He began headbutting Tseng in the forehead. Tseng, however, quickly interrupted his opponent's headbutting session by kneeing him in the chest. The Jedi was forced to let go of the Turk's hands as a sharp pain traveled across his chest. Although the pain instantly disappeared as Obi-Wan tapped into the Force, the Jedi did admit to the man in blue, "I must say, you have a very powerful knee."

Tseng ignored the compliment and kicked the Jedi in the chin. The knight, whose body was flowing with the Force, flipped backwards and landed on his feet.

"Go! Punch him in the face!" Aerith exclaimed from the sideline as she rooted for the Jedi.

Momentarily distracted by the flower girl's sudden cheering, Obi-Wan instinctively tried to punch Tseng in the face just as Aerith told him to. The Turk, who anticipated the punch, dodged the attack and landed several punches on the Jedi's stomach, causing the auburn-haired man to grunt and take several steps back. Obi-Wan, however, instantly recovered to full health.

"C'mon! Jab! Kick! Kick! Jab! Punch! Pow! Boom! What are you waiting for?" Aerith angrily shouted as she motioned the moves.

In truth, Obi-Wan did not plan on unleashing his full power on Tseng. Currently, he was only trying to stall him as much as possible. However, Aerith's 'advices' were not helping, at all.

_By the Force_, Obi-Wan thought with annoyance as he continued to hear the flower girl's unprofessional advices. After landing a hard punch on Tseng, who was sent flying to a nearby wall, the unhurt Jedi turned to the brunette, who was now cheering happily, and began with a calm tone, "Aerith."

"You got him!" Aerith cheered as she jumped. Marlene, however, realized that the auburn-haired man was actually thoroughly annoyed and tried to tell the flower girl to stop.

The brunette didn't even realize that Marlene was saying something.

"Aerith," Obi-Wan called out calmly.

"You just punched Tseng and made him fly to the wall!" Aerith cheered on, ignoring the Jedi. "Wow, you totally kicked his-"

"_Aerith_," the auburn-haired man said with a more pleading tone.

"Oh, yeah?" the flower girl finally responded as she stopped cheering.

"Take Marlene to a safe place," Obi-Wan said.

"Oh yeah! Marlene, let's get you out of here!" With that, the two disappeared into the house.

Tseng, regaining his consciousness, stood up and took out a lightning materia from his pocket.

Sensing the presence of the materia, Obi-Wan whirled around and saw the Turk, who was allowing the power of the materia channel through his body.

_Oh, a materia_, the auburn-haired man thought as he mentally slapped himself. _I didn't expect that_.

Tseng began to launch lightning bolts at the Jedi. Obi-Wan, channeling the Force through his body, quickly dodged them by rolling sideways. He then began to run to the Turk as he continued to dodge the bullet-like lightning bolts.

"...How in the...?" Tseng murmured in shock as he saw the auburn-haired man dodging his lightning spell. Eventually, the Jedi stood in front of the Turk.

"Having a nice day?" Obi-Wan asked with a mischievous smile as he stood facing the man in blue.

The Turk tried to say something in return, but the words did not leave his mouth. Eventually, he said defiantly, "You will not stop me!"

At this, the Jedi gave Tseng a wry smile and said, "Who said that _I'm_ the one who's stopping you?"

Tseng was confused at this statement. Approximately a second later, however, something hit the Turk's head hard. The man in blue stood still. Several seconds later, Tseng fell to the ground, unconscious, revealing Elmyra Gainsborough, who stood behind him with a large frying pan in hand.

"That was a nice hit," Obi-Wan complimented.

"You wouldn't know how much I wanted to do that," Elmyra huffed as she tapped the unconscious Tseng several times with her pan to check if he really fainted.

"I can only imagine," the Jedi replied. He then rummaged through the Turk's body and found what he was looking for: a personal cellphone. "So this is what you people use to chat with others," he commented as he inspected the small device.

"It's quite useful when you have to talk to others at a distance," the middle-aged woman said.

"Alright, it's time to move to the next step," Obi-Wan said as he gave Tseng's cellphone to Ms. Gainsborough. "I want you to look for the name 'Reno' in this."

* * *

><p>Cloud and Tifa continued to fight through the crowd of soldiers. While the two ran up the stairs, they found Biggs lying on the stairway.<p>

He was dead. A single bullet rested inside the man's head.

The duo eventually reached the topmost level of the pillar. There were several dead men in uniform lying on the ground. Above them, Barret was shooting at a battle helicopter.

The gun-armed man noticed the ex-SOLDIER and the fighter arriving. "Cloud! Tifa!" he shouted. "Be careful! They're attackin' from the helicopter!"

At that moment, Tifa noticed the helicopter approaching the pillar at full speed. "Here they come!" she warned.

Barret began shooting it with his gun-arm, hitting the chopper in the process. The helicopter, however, only took minor damage and maintained its speed. As the chopper flew over the remaining AVALANCHE forces, a redhead Turk jumped off from it as the helicopter flew away. The Turk was no other than Reno.

Reno landed next to the control panel in the center. As Tifa, Barret, and Cloud surrounded the redhead, the Turk put his finger above a big red button and said with a smirk, "You're too late. Once I push this button-"

At that precise moment, a cellphone rang.

"...Hold on. That's mine," Reno said as he used his free hand to pull out his ringing cellphone from his pocket. The Turk quickly observed the device's screen to check who was calling.

"Tseng?" Reno murmured to himself with a frown as he stared at his phone. "Why would he...?"

Tifa tried to take the chance and approach the Turk, but the redhead immediately noticed it and dangerously shouted, "Don't even think about!"

The bar hostess froze at her spot, calculating her next move.

Reno carefully flipped open his cellphone and began, "Hello?"

"AAAAGGGGGGHHHHH!" was all that came from the cellphone in response.

Completely startled by the sudden shriek to his ear, the Turk instinctively took several steps back and scratched his damaged ear. "Aw! What the...!" the redhead painfully groaned as he dropped his phone.

"Now!" Cloud exclaimed as he raised his Buster Sword and charged at the Turk. Tifa attempted to land several punches at Reno's face as Barret prepared to fire his gun.

Reno quickly recovered and rolled to the side, dodging all the deadly attacks. In response to the sudden change of events, the Turk murmured to himself, "Not good." The redhead quickly pulled out his weapon from his dark blue suit: a metal rod.

As Barret aimed his gun at the Turk, Reno calmly waved his rod around, causing a mysterious shining orb to form. The illuminating ball flew to the gun-armed man and shattered, forming a transparent, golden pyramid around the AVALANCHE leader.

"The hell is this?" Barret fumed angrily as he shot the pyramid from the inside, which was not very effective. Cloud and Tifa stopped and turned to look at the trapped man.

"Try and break it if you can," Reno taunted with a smirk plastered on his face. "It's a little spell I conjured up. I call it 'Pyramid'."

"You Shinra people are INCREDIBLY creative," the ex-SOLDIER commented sarcastically, echoing Obi-Wan's words. He then turned to Tifa and commanded, "Help Barret break that... thing."

Reno took insult to Cloud's comment and barked angrily, "You'll see true creativity soon enough!" With that, he charged toward the blonde and swung his rod at Cloud's face.

The ex-SOLDIER parried the attack and raised his huge sword above his head. He quickly swung it down at the Turk, but Reno sidestepped at swung his rod at Cloud's chest.

Cloud looked at the rod at his chest and mused, _That's pathetic._ But suddenly, electric blasts emitted from the metal rod, electrocuting the ex-SOLDIER in the process.

"Creative? Isn't it?" Reno asked with a smirk as he continued to electrocute the blonde. "In fact, it's quite... shocking."

"Shock this!" Tifa suddenly shouted from afar as frozen icicles erupted from her raised hand. The spell hit the Turk, causing him to release his electrifying grip on Cloud.

After shaking his head to get back into focus, Reno raised his rod to release another pyramid at one of the three AVALANCHE members.

...Except, there were only two AVALANCHE members in sight. Cloud, who just recovered, and Tifa, who now stood still.

"Where's-" Reno tried to complete his question, but was interrupted by a sharp pain in his head. The Turk stumbled and fell on the floor, laying unconscious.

"Barret," Barret, who was free from the 'Pyramid' spell, said victoriously from behind the unconscious Reno as he gently stroked his gun-arm, which was used to hit the Turk in the head.

With every hostile enemies neutralized, Tifa sighed in relief as she slumped to the floor. Cloud placed the Buster Sword on his back and began to remove the bomb that was planted next to the control panel. Barret did not say anything as he slumped next to the fighter.

"...They got Biggs, Jessie, and Wedge, didn't they?" the gun-armed man asked, nearly whispering.

Tifa did not reply. In truth, she found it hard to believe that the other three members of AVALANCHE members were killed. She talked with them, fought with them, and cheered with them for years. And now, they were nothing but corpses ready to decay and fall apart.

It was... horrific.

And the cause of all of this was...

"...Shinra," Tifa hissed with boiling anger.

Barret did not say anything in reply. For a moment, everything was silent save for Cloud who was working hard to remove the bomb.

All too suddenly, the gun-armed man rose up to his feet and shouted at the top his lungs, "Damn it!" He angrily stomped on the floor and slumped back next to Tifa. "At least," he began slowly, "the pillar's safe."

"...Yeah," the bar hostess whispered as she turned to look at the ex-SOLDIER. She found it strange that she did not feel like crying for her fallen comrades. Her heart was aching, but her body did not bother to show it.

"Done," Cloud announced as he held the bomb in his hands. He then looked at Reno's unconscious body and said to his teammates, "We need to do something about him."

* * *

><p>Obi-Wan and Aerith were silently standing in the dark corner of the slums near the house, with Tseng tied up onto a wooden chair with a towel wrapped around his mouth.<p>

"Mmm! Mmm!" Tseng angrily mumbled through the towel, struggling to escape from the chair holding him down.

"Shut up," Aerith said grumpily.

"I still don't think you should be here," the Jedi said as he fiddled with Tseng's cellphone.

"Why?" the flower girl asked as she turned to the auburn-haired man.

"Well," the robed man began with a shrug, "I am committing a crime. And, your mother is waiting for you at home."

"Oh, yeah, that's true," the brunette agreed with a nod. "But, I'm still gonna stay here."

As Obi-Wan opened his mouth to retort, Aerith abruptly pointed out, "Shinra's trying to abduct me, anyway. What difference is it gonna make if I leave now?"

The Jedi raised his eyebrows and stared at the flower girl. _She really wants to stay here, hmm?_ the robed man thought.

As the auburn-haired man's gaze bore through her, Aerith apologetically looked down at the ground and said, "Er... I'm sorry for shouting like that. I just got a bit too excited."

"I know," Obi-Wan replied with a smirk. "It's not an everyday experience to hold a government agent as hostage."

As a reply, Tseng angrily let out a muffled shout.

"Shut up!" the angry brunette shouted at the hostage. Obi-Wan, however, quickly noticed that Aerith was staring daggers at the Turk. It was the first time the Jedi saw her do that.

"You seem to dislike this gentleman quite a lot," Obi-Wan commented as he stroked his beard.

The flower girl did not immediately reply. She gave Tseng one more hostile glare and turned to the robed man. "'Gentleman' certainly isn't a word that describes Tseng," Aerith said.

"It seems that you've known that man for some time now," Obi-Wan surmised. "Am I correct?"

The brunette only nervously looked away, rubbing her left shoulder with her right hand.

"Perhaps I am being too nosy," the Jedi thought out loud as he took back his question.

"...What makes you think so?" Aerith asked as she looked at the auburn-haired man.

"Everyone says I'm nosy," Obi-Wan revealed with a light chuckle. "Except my colleagues."

The flower girl fell silent, deep in thought. Moments later, she began to laugh. "You're the curious type, aren't you?" she asked with a big smile.

"You can say that," the knight replied.

"I can't believe it, though," Aerith said as she cleared her throat. She then said with Obi-Wan's accent, "Being _nosy_ is _uncivilized_. I cannot _believe _that a well-_mannered_ individual as yourself would _condescend_ to that level."

At this, Obi-Wan gave a hearty laugh. He had to admit, the flower girl was getting close to speaking like him. A bit.

After telling the angry hostage to shut up, the brunette smiled as she saw the Jedi laughing. "Wow, I just realized," she began. "You _do_ look so much like him."

"Like who?" the auburn-haired man asked.

"Like my mom's husband," Aerith said. "Mom noticed it a lot faster, though."

"Yes, she did," Obi-Wan said with a nod. Then, an idea popped into his and he asked the flower girl, "Do you have a picture of that man? I would like to see how much I look like him."

"Oh, no problem," Aerith said as she took out an old, brown wallet from her pocket. After rummaging through the worn out wallet, she took out a folded picture and handed to the Jedi.

The knight unfolded the picture and looked at it. He immediately noticed Elmyra on the left side of the picture. The only difference was that she looked much younger and more cheerful. He then looked at the man next to her.

The Jedi froze as he saw the man in the picture. After a moment of shock, he blinked to make sure nothing was wrong with his sight. _What the blazes?_ the robed man thought in alarm.

"Is something wrong?" the flower girl asked as she moved next to the paling knight.

Obi-Wan did not say anything in reply. He was still shocked at the picture of the couple.

"What's going on?" Aerith asked as she looked over Obi-Wan's shoulder. She peered into the picture the Jedi was holding.

At a first glance, nothing seemed to be wrong. The picture was still the same as ever, except a bit worn off due to passing time.

However, after scrutinizing the picture one more time, the flower girl paled as goosebumps formed all over her. "...H-hey," she began nervously, quietly as she turned to the auburn-haired man, "mom's husband looks _just like you_."

Indeed, the smiling man in the picture looked just like the Jedi Knight. The only difference was that the subject was much younger and had no beard or mustache. Other than that, Elmyra's husband looked exactly like Obi-Wan. He had short, auburn hair, pale skin, and blue-grey eyes.

Tseng's angry, muffled shouts sent Obi-Wan back to reality. The Jedi turned to the bound Turk and saw that the agent just failed to loosen his bonds on the chair. He quickly handed the picture to the owner and said, "It's time to get back to business."

Aerith nervously nodded as she put the strange picture back into her wallet. The flower girl quickly forgot about the strange event.

The Jedi sensed through the Force that the dispute in the Sector 7 Pillar was resolved. The robed man flipped open Tseng's cellphone and dialed Reno.

To Obi-Wan's delight and expectation, the man to answer the call was Cloud.

"Who is this?" the blonde's voice said.

"Cloud? This is you-know-who," the knight said with a smile. As he expected, he heard a groan from the ex-SOLDIER. The Jedi then heard nothing for a moment.

"How did you get Tseng's phone?" Cloud shouted as realization struck him.

"I stole it from him," Obi-Wan honestly replied as Tseng angrily let out a muffled cry. "Did you defeat Reno?"

"Yeah, Reno is... Wait, _how did you know_?" the ex-SOLDIER asked.

"I want you to bring him here," the Jedi said calmly. "I have Tseng here, as well."

The blonde did not reply. Clearly, the man was hesitating.

"Aerith," the robed man called as he handed the cellphone to the flower girl. "I want you to tell Cloud where we are."

The brunette received the phone and exclaimed happily, "Cloud!"

The knight was able to hear Cloud exclaim back with relief. He chuckled at the scene.

Tseng didn't. Not at all.

After the call was finished, Aerith went to Obi-Wan and said, "Cloud will be here in a few moments. All we gotta do now is wait."

The Jedi was satisfied. So far, everything was going as planned.

…

…

…But the bad feeling still lingered in Obi-Wan's mind.

…

…

..._And exactly who was that mysterious man in that picture?_

* * *

><p>"There must be a better way to take him," Cloud commented as he walked with his other two companions through the slums.<p>

"This is what Shinra deserves, so let him have it!" Barret said as he dragged Reno's tied up body by a rope, causing Reno to feel the friction between his skin and the dirt.

"Mmm!" the Turk angrily complained through the muffle tied around his mouth as he was getting dragged.

"Shut up!" the gun-armed man shouted as he continued to walk.

Tifa did not say anything as she followed behind, looking down at the ground. Her mind was still on Biggs, Jessie, and Wedge.

Cloud noticed his friend's discomfort. Hoping to cheer her up, he went to Tifa and asked, "You alright?"

"Huh?" the fighter mumbled as she looked up. "Oh, nothing."

"...You're still thinking of those three, are you?" the ex-SOLDIER inquired. Tifa's silence was a good enough response for him.

"I didn't really know them, but I can tell that you were very close to them," the blonde said as he searched for the right words. "All I can say is... sorry."

"You shouldn't be. It's not your fault," Tifa interrupted as she looked into Cloud's eyes.

The ex-SOLDIER did not reply. Instead, he looked at the Plate above them and commented with a wry smile, "The sky is beautiful as always."

Tifa looked up and only saw an ugly ceiling in place of the starry sky. "Oh really?" she asked with her eyebrow raised.

"Yeah," Cloud droned as he continued to follow Barret. _Wow_, the blonde bitterly thought as he kicked a random pebble on the ground. _I'm really bad at cheering others up, huh?_

With a sigh, Cloud decided to start the conversation again. "Wedge," he began as he crossed his arms, "always wanted to be a hero."

The fighter turned to ex-SOLDIER, her ears perking up.

"He thought that he wasn't worthy of the title due to his clumsiness and occasional cowardice," Cloud continued thoughtfully. "Wedge also thought that he was a little to fat to become a hero," he added with a smirk.

With a sad sigh and a shake of his head, he said, "...The fool did not know that you do not have to be herculean, perfect, and famous to become a hero... Wedge, that idiot. He didn't realize that he already was a hero."

Tifa looked into Cloud's distant eyes as a sad smile grew on her face.

The ex-SOLDIER turned to his friend next to him and admitted, "I didn't know much about Biggs and Jessie. Biggs and I... We never really talked much. Jessie... She always grew quiet when I was around. Don't know why, though."

The bar hostess slapped her own face with a bit of agitation. _Cloud, you blind moron..._ thought Tifa when she heard the last part. Ignoring the last part of Cloud's thoughts, Tifa began, "Biggs, Wedge, and Jessie were great friends... No, a family. If they were given more time, you could have grown closer to them."

"Perhaps," Cloud answered. _Or perhaps not_, he thought. _If they were still alive, I might have continued to shield them off._

After a moment of walking and silence (with the exception of Reno's muffled shouts and Barret's angry retorts), Tifa said with a smile, "Thank you, Cloud."

The blonde turned to his friend. "For what?" he asked.

"For talking," the bar hostess simply said. "It's been a while since we ever had this sort of conversation."

"...Yeah," the ex-SOLDIER mused. "It's been a while."

"We need to avenge them," Tifa said with great determination as she clenched her fists. "Biggs, Wedge, and Jessie, I mean. We have our friends to fight for."

The blonde gave a quick nod in response, returning to his 'stoic mode' again.

"...Do you have a friend to fight for?" the bar hostess asked her friend with hope glittering in her eyes.

At this sudden question, Cloud thought for a moment. _...Friend to... fight for..._ he wondered.

_...Friend..._

_ ...to fight for..._

Tifa stared at the blonde next to her. Clearly, the man was thinking something. The ex-SOLDIER grew silent and lowered his head as he continued to think. Several minutes later, Cloud seemed to have completely forgotten about Tifa's question, for he lifted his head and went on walking as if nothing had ever happened.

_Oh, c'mon!_ the bar hostess thought bitterly. In truth, she was hoping that the man would say her name. It disappointed her that Cloud decided to ignore the question altogether. _Is it that hard to answer a simple question? _she wondered.

While Cloud and Tifa were having their time as they followed their leader, Barret angrily continued to drag Reno by a rope. The redhead let out another muffled shout.

"That robe guy should be somewhere 'round here," the gun-armed man mumbled to himself. "If he's not, I think I'm just gonna kill this Shinra scum."

Almost as if Barret's thoughts were read, a hooded man from one of the ruined slum buildings waved his arms. Barret quickly noticed the man and ran to him, dragging the angry Reno along. Cloud and Tifa sooned noticed and quickly followed along.

"It's good to see you again, Cloud," Obi-Wan happily said as he put his hood down.

The ex-SOLDIER grumbled in response.

Tifa noticed Aerith and exclaimed, "Aerith! Thank goodness you're safe!"

"I'm glad you're safe, too," Aerith replied happily. "Although, I wouldn't have been if it wasn't for my friend here." The flower girl then pointed at the robed man.

The bar hostess walked up to the auburn-haired man and began, "You have my thanks for-" She abruptly stopped at the middle of her sentence when she saw the man's face. "W-wait a minute!" Tifa stammered as she recognized his face. "You're the man who visited my bar several days ago!"

"That I am," Obi-Wan nodded. "For now, you may just call me Ben."

"Okay... Ben..." the bar hostess said, still slightly worried. Cloud also gave Obi-Wan a strange look. As a response to this, Aerith winked at the blonde.

_I can't tell her my real name at the current situation_, the Jedi warned himself as he turned to the two Turks who were bound onto chairs.

The robed man then noticed something out of place. "Where are the other three?" Obi-Wan asked the new visitors.

Barret, who was strangely quiet, finally spoke up. "They're dead," he bluntly said.

"...Oh..." the Jedi sadly murmured. The gun-armed man did not show it, but the Jedi was able to sense that his inner soul was in turmoil and grief due to the deaths of his three employees. "I am sorry," the auburn-haired man said.

"Don't be," Barret replied with a wave of his gun-arm. "Anyway, back to business."

Everyone (except the bound Turks) nodded and Obi-Wan proceeded to remove the cloths from Tseng's and Reno's mouths. Both stared daggers at the Jedi as they breathed in air.

"I apologize for this style of treatment," Obi-Wan began as he threw away the cloths, "but drastic measures were necessary."

As he listened to the Jedi's voice, Reno shouted angrily, "Hey! I know that voice! You were the one who screamed into my ear!"

"Correct," the auburn-haired man nodded with a small grin.

"What the hell, man!" the redhead fumed as he shook in his chair. "Thanks to you, my ear's still ringing! You-!"

"Calm down, Reno," Tseng calmly said to his fellow Turk. "Shouting will get us nowhere."

Reno turned to his boss, then at Obi-Wan. As he gritted his teeth, he sunk back into his wooden chair.

"I doubt that you are done with just tying us up in the slums," Tseng said to Obi-Wan with a glare.

"To be quite honest with you," the Jedi began with a shrug, "I am done." And with that, the robed man took several steps back as Barret came forth.

"So," Tseng began as he faced the gun-armed man, "you are the great leader of AVALANCHE? We meet at last."

"And you are?" Barret began with an angry look.

"Tseng," the long-haired Turk replied stoically. "A Turk."

The gun-armed man stared daggers at him and growled, "You're all Shinra scum to me. Anyway, listen up! Both of you better answer all my questions correctly, or you're gonna be wishin' you're never born!"

Reno slightly struggled in his chair and shot back, "Hey man, if you think we're gonna answer your-!"

"Reno," Tseng said sternly as he turned to the redhead.

Reno looked at his boss, then at the rest of the people in the dark room. Scowling, the angry Turk held back his words.

Barret turned back to the senior Turk and asked, "What were you guys plannin' to do with the pillar?"

"We were planning to destroy it," Tseng said bluntly.

The gun-armed man suddenly lost his cool and shouted, "D'you know how many people that would've killed?"

The Turk simply answered, "A lot."

The AVALANCHE leader glared into Tseng's dark, brown eyes and asked, "Why were you plannin' to do that?"

"To destroy your team, of course," Tseng replied with his eyebrow raised. "You and your AVALANCHE group has been causing a bit of trouble, after all."

Barret took in a deep breath and asked, "What's your next move?"

Confusion grew in the Turk's face and asked, "'Next move'?"

"What are you plannin' to do next?" the burly man angrily reworded his question, shaking his gun in the air.

Tseng only shrugged in his chair and replied, "I do not know."

"Maybe I should jolt your memory?" Barret furiously suggested as he aimed his gun at Tseng's face.

Tseng, however, stayed calm and replied, "Sorry, but that's not jolting my memory."

Reno interrupted the discussion and said to the AVALANCHE leader, "He's telling the truth. Doing that won't get you anywhere."

When Barret turned his gun to Reno, Cloud stepped in and said, "Barret, we're getting nowhere."

"I think I noticed!" the gun-armed man fumed at the blonde. "If you think you have any better idea-!"

Tifa, Aerith, and Obi-Wan only stared at their hostages and the two arguing individuals. Although Obi-Wan wanted to use the Force to manipulate the Turks' minds, he still decided against using the Force in front of the people in the room, with the exception of Aerith.

As he hopelessly shook his head, the Jedi suddenly felt something in the Force. It was strong. Incredibly powerful. Instantly, the robed man knew what the presence was.

It was the Dark Side of the Force.

_Where? _Obi-Wan thought in alarm. _Where is this dark presence coming from?_ The Jedi silently slipped out of the dark room and went outside the ruined building.

Aerith, the only one who noticed the auburn-haired man leaving the place, quickly followed the robed man. As she stepped out of the building, the brunette saw the knight looking around the plate above the slums.

"Is something wrong?" Aerith asked the Jedi as she went to him.

Obi-Wan noticed the flower girl approaching him. _I must not tell her about this_, he thought. _At least, not now._ "Nothing. I was just getting some fresh air."

Aerith looked at the slums around her and said with a smile, "This air is anything _but_ fresh."

"...You know what I mean," the robed man said, crossing his arms. "I hope the interrogation goes well."

"I hope the same, too..." the flower girl said as she looked at the building she just exited.

Unbeknownst to the brunette, Obi-Wan was carefully studying his surroundings through the Force. After the hard work, the knight found out that the dark presence was nowhere near them. It was at the center at the plate above them.

"Aerith," the Jedi asked the flower girl.

"Hmm?" Aerith turned to the auburn-haired man.

"Is there something at the center of the plate?"

"Yup. That's where the Shinra HQ is located."

_The Shinra HQ?_ Obi-Wan mused, trying not to look suspicious in front of his friend. _I better take a visit to that place._ "Is that so? I always wondered what was there."

The Jedi then announced as he adjusted his robe, "I'll be taking a walk."

At this, Aerith quickly said with a broad smile, "And I'll follow."

"No."

"Wha-?" the flower girl incredulously stuttered. "Why not?" she asked with a frown.

"I need to be alone for a while," Obi-Wan replied as he pulled his hood up, hiding most of his face in darkness.

"But what about Shinra?" the brunette pointed out. "They'll probably try to kidnap you if they figure out about your encounter with Tseng!"

The Jedi only smiled and said, "I've heard that you've done well with evading from Shinra. I believe that I can do better than you."

At this, Aerith fell silent. Although she did not want to admit it, the brunette thought that her robed friend could take care of himself better than she could.

"Don't worry," Obi-Wan assured as he chuckled. "I won't get captured by Shinra." _I will just run into their headquarters and find out what's going on in there._

"...You better keep your word, sir knight," the flower girl finally said with a smirk.

With a shake of his head, the auburn-haired man stated, "You worry too much." With that, he began to walk away from the "interrogation" building, his hood still hiding his face. As he walked away, the Jedi turned to the flower girl and said, "I advise you to go home." Shortly afterward, he disappeared into the maze of ruined buildings.

After waving goodbye to the robed man, Aerith ignored Obi-Wan's advice and walked back into the interrogation room.

* * *

><p>Obi-Wan trekked through the slums as he sensed the Dark Side of the Force above him. <em>How should I get to the headquarters from here?<em> he wondered as he walked on the dirt path. Then an idea sprung up in his head. _The train._

The Jedi quickly navigated through the slums and ended up in front of the Sector 7 gate. With a wave of his right hand, the huge, mechanical gate opened itself. The robed man quickly passed the doorway and saw that the Sector 7 Pillar was slightly damaged with bits of blood on it, but standing, thankfully. He immediately turned right at the first intersection and reached his destination: the train station.

_This should be it_, Obi-Wan thought as he went on the platform and walked up to the station guard. "Hello there, sir," the Jedi began politely as the guard turned to the robed man. "Does this train go up to the city?"

"Yeah," the guard said. "But I'll have to check your identification, first."

"You do not need to check my identification," Obi-Wan said with a gentle voice as he gave a small wave with his right hand.

"I do not need to check your identification," the hypnotized guard repeated as his eyes grew distant.

Satisfied with the state of the station guard's mind, the robed man asked, "Does this train have any security checks?"

"Yes," the guard replied, still under Obi-Wan's control. "There will be several checkpoints in your trip. The trainman will notify the passengers before the train passes these checkpoints."

"I see," the Jedi replied as he stroked his beard. "What do these checkpoints look like?"  
>"They are just electrical barriers that scan the passengers," the station guard obediently replied. "They are very efficient for finding illegal passengers."<p>

"So, they are machines?" the auburn-haired man asked.

"Yes."

_Perfect_, the Jedi thought happily. Not releasing his grip on the guard's mind, the Force-user said, "I may board this train."

"You may board this train," the station guard said as he pointed at the open door of the passenger car.

"Thank you," Obi-Wan said as he stepped into the train car, releasing the guard's mind.

As he was released from the Jedi's spell, the station guard immediately forgot all the events that had just transpired. When it was time for the train to depart, the man immediately shut the doors of the train.

Obi-Wan observed his surroundings as he stood in the car. The Jedi saw a slovenly man with messy hair sleeping in one of the chairs. No one else was present in the car.

The auburn-haired man felt a little rumble in the car; the train started to move. The robed man quickly sat on one of the chairs at the far end of the car. With his hood still hiding nearly all of his face, Obi-Wan looked out the window.

As the train began to travel upward through the spiraling railroad next to a huge pillar, the Jedi saw the slums from above. The whole place looked like a patch of soil with countless amount of dead plants protruding out of it. Below the 'dead plants' lived the slum dwellers who latched onto the hope that someday, their hardships will pay off and they will be rewarded. _What a pitiful sight_, Obi-Wan thought as he remembered what the lowest levels of Coruscant were like.

When the train entered a dimly lit tunnel, the trainman said into his microphone, "Ladies and gentlemen, we will be heading through a security checkpoint in three minutes." He repeated the announcement one more time in case some passengers did not here it clearly. The trainman then finished with a "Thank you."

_Three minutes, hmm?_ Obi-Wan mused as he silently channeled the Force through his body and mind.

Two minutes later, the Jedi fully tapped his mind into the Force and started to search for the security checkpoint barrier in his path. He had only one chance in this, so the knight focused intensely on finding the barrier in time. Thirty seconds later, the robed man found the barrier in front of him. He then proceeded to use the Force to deactivate the electrical wall.

Several seconds later, the trainman's voice filled the room. "Ladies and gentlemen," he said, "we have passed the first checkpoint. We will be passing the second checkpoint in five minutes." Once again, the trainman repeated his words and ended with a "Thank you."

_Success_, the Jedi thought as he suppressed a smirk, in case the slovenly man woke up and was looking at him. _Time to deactivate the second barrier._

* * *

><p>The AVALANCHE team were exhausted. The interrogator, Barret, failed to interrogate anything important out of the two stubborn Turks. The gun-armed man, however, decided against using torture to extract information out of them.<p>

Cloud, who was beginning to think that the interrogation was and will go to nowhere, said to Barret, "This interrogation is just a waste of our time."

"Why don't ya suggest any other better ideas, then?" Barret shot back angrily, not taking his eyes off his hostages, who were still bound to their chairs.

"How 'bout you just let us go?" Reno suggested with a smirk.

"Shut it, scum!" the burly man shouted at the redhead.

"I'm beginning to think this interrogation will get us nowhere," Tifa stated as she sat down on the ground.

Aerith simply yawned as she leaned against the wall.

The whole team became silent. Although the silence lasted a minute, it seemed like an hour to the team.

Cloud broke the silence as he turned to the flower girl. "Aerith," he called out.

"Hmm?" the brunette replied as she looked at her bodyguard.

"Shouldn't you go home?"

Before Aerith responded, a loud propeller noise came from outside the building.

Startled, Tifa shouted, "What the...?"

At that moment, several men in blue uniform came charging into the building with rifles in their hands. All of them aimed at the AVALANCHE team and Aerith as one of them shouted, "Freeze!"

_...Damn it_, Cloud thought in anger and defeat as he raised his hands in the air. The rest of the team followed his action.

A moment later, a tall, bald Caucasian man in a dark blue suit entered the Shinra-infested building as he adjusted his sunglasses. "Sorry if I am late," he said with a deep voice.

"Yeah, you are a bit late, Rude," Reno said from his chair.

Barrret, who was raising his hands in the air, looked around as if he was confused.

As a response, Tseng said, "You must be wondering how you and your team were spotted in this maze of slums." As the foot soldier cut the ropes on the two men, Reno rose up to his feet as he pulled something from his jacket sleeve.

"This," the redhead began as he held up a marble-sized machine, "is a tracking device. I don't think I need to explain what it does."

At this, Aerith was astounded and asked Cloud, "You didn't remove the tracking device from him?"

Before the blonde was able to answer, Tseng cut in and stated, "Apparently, the robed man who kidnapped me was much smarter than all of you. He took the tracking device out of my sleeve before he tied me to the chair." The Turk then turned to his men and commanded, "Arrest them."

As the men started to move, the flower girl shouted, "Wait!"

When Tseng heard this, he commanded his men to stop. Everyone was now staring at the brunette.

"If you let them go," Aerith began nervously but bravely, "I'll turn myself in."

At this, some of the soldiers began to laugh while the AVALANCHE members stared at the girl incredulously. When the laughing subsided, Reno stated, "Look, now. We already got all of you anyway. I don't see the-"

"Deal," Tseng suddenly interrupted as he made up his mind. At this, everyone but Aerith stared at the Turk in shock. "The Ancient is our top priority," the long-haired Turk explained to his team. "The arrest of AVALANCHE can wait."

"But sir," the normally-silent Rude began as he approached his boss, "we could just take them all at once."

"We will grant the Ancient's wishes for now," Tseng said sternly as he straightened his tie. "Let's move out."

At this, the soldiers nearby the flower girl grabbed her arms and immediately pulled her to one of the helicopters. After giving a dark glare at the AVALANCHE members, Reno jumped into a different chopper along with some of the blue-armored Shinra employees. Rude silently went to the third helicopter with the rest of the soldiers.

As the helicopter pilots revved up the engines, the propellers began to turn. Before leaving the old building, Tseng said stoically, "We will not be so generous the next time we meet. Until then, farewell." After finishing his statements, the Turk ran and jumped into the helicopter Rude was in. Seconds later, the choppers left, leaving behind a cloud of dirt.

The AVALANCHE team was speechless. Everything had happened so instantly, so unexpectedly. The remaining three, Cloud, Barret, and Tifa, just stared at the helicopters that were far away to the point they were only specks.

The first to break the silence was Tifa. "They took Aerith," she murmured, still in shock.

Barret opened his mouth and said in defeat, "The interrogation was a failure."

Cloud did not respond in any way. He continued to stare at the helicopter for he was at loss for words. Several seconds later, the blonde noticed something strange. He turned to his teammates and asked, "Where is Obi-Wan?"

Barret only looked at Cloud and Tifa made a confused look. "Who's Obi-Wan?" the fighter asked.

"The man in a robe," the ex-SOLDIER replied impatiently. "Where is he?"

"His name's Obi-Wan?" the gun-armed man asked with his eyebrow raised. "I thought he said his name's Ben."

"No, it's not!" Cloud shouted back angrily. "I met him in Aerith's house. His name is Obi-Wan Kenobi!"

"Obi-Wan Kenobi?" Tifa repeated as she scratched her head. "Why would he lie about his name?"

"Where _is_ he?" the blonde fumed impatiently.

Startled by the sudden display of anger, the fighter immediately replied, "Aerith said he wanted to go out for a walk."

"...Walk?" the ex-SOLDIER mused as he looked down at the ground. "...Walk?..."

"Seems like he was bit tired with the interrogation," the AVALANCHE boss suggested with a shrug.

At this, Cloud suddenly gave out a laughter. And it wasn't because of happiness. It was a type of laughter that sent chills down the hearer's spine. "'A bit tired'?" the laughing man quoted.

Barret simply shrugged.

"Are you out of your MIND?" Cloud shouted at the top of his lungs as he went up to the burly man, who was slightly startled by the mercenary's loss of temper.

"Woah, woah, woah!" Tifa interrupted as she stepped between Barret and Cloud.

"'The hell, man!" the gun-armed man, who was now losing his temper, said to the blonde. "There's no point in getting' all angry at us! And what d'you mean by 'out of your mind', huh?"

"Barret! Not you, too!" the female fighter said incredulously as she turned to the burly man.

"That man tricked us!" the ex-SOLDIER finally said as he backed up from Barret. "Obi-Wan tricked us!"

"...What?" Tifa and Barret said in disbelief.

"Can't you see it?" Cloud continued angrily. "He set us up! Shinra set us up!"

The other two AVALANCHE members were struck speechless.

"Obi-Wan must have known about us from the very beginning," the blonde began to explain. "That's why he visited your bar, Tifa. He knew that it was being used as our headquarters. Barret, the man told you about the attack Shinra was going to launch, right? That's because he's part of Shinra! Then, he rounded up the survivors so that the rest of the AVALANCHE can get arrested on the spot!" After taking a breath, he realized something and immediately revealed it to his two dumb-founded teammates. "That Obi-Wan also befriended Aerith so that she would fall into Shinra's trap!... And then he slipped out of the place by 'taking a walk'!"

Both Barret and Tifa were absolutely shocked by this. They knew it was just an assumption, but so far, Cloud made some good points. The two thought that it was very possible that Obi-Wan was a spy.

Eventually, Tifa said sadly, "...What do we do now?"

After shaking his head in defeat, the blonde said calmly, "We need to inform Ms. Gainsborough about this."

After minutes of walking through the slums, they reached Aerith's home. Barret gave Marlene an affectionate hug and told her to go upstairs. Cloud and Tifa informed Ms. Gainsborough of Aerith's kidnapping; they tried to leave out Obi-Wan's supposed involvement in the kidnapping.

"So, it has come down to this..." Elmyra said sadly.

"Ms. Gainsborough, I know this is very hard to take in, but I must ask a question," Cloud began.

"You are wondering why Shinra was after Aerith..." the middle-aged woman said as if she read the ex-SOLDIER's thoughts.

"...Yes," Cloud said with a nod.

At this, Elmyra faced away from them. When the three began to consider taking back the question, the woman began, "Aerith is an Ancient. The sole survivor of her kind."

"...What did you say?" Barret asked in surprise. "But, aren't you her mother?"

"...I'm not her... real... mother," Elmyra slowly replied as she began to recall the events of the past. "It was fifteen years ago..."

Ms. Gainsborough explained to the AVALANCHE team about the war with Wutai and how her husband was sent to the front lines. She explained how she first met Aerith in the train station and decided to raise her. The woman also revealed the flower girl's strange connection with the planet and Shinra's pursuit to catch her.

When Elmyra finished her story, Tifa shook her head and admitted, "It's my fault. I was the one who got Aerith involved in this mess."

"Don't say that," the middle-aged woman said reassuringly. "Aerith doesn't think so." However, when she noticed something out of place, she asked the AVALANCHE members, "Where is Mr. Kenobi?"

The trio grew concerned at the question. The person to answer the question of Tifa. "...He is... probably at the Shinra HQ," she answered downcast. "We think he set us up."

Elmyra was absolutely stunned by the answer she was given. "Mr. Kenobi? With Shinra?" she said particularly to no one.

Barret nodded at this and said angrily, "We're just guessin', but too many evidences point to him that he's somehow involved with Shinra."

The middle-aged woman, however, only shook her head in disagreement. "I have known Mr. Kenobi for only several days," she began. "It is also true that the man is very enigmatic. But, there is some sort of aura that surrounds him. It's a kind of aura that exists only in good people."

"I don't think we could say who is good and who is bad solely by their 'aura'," Cloud said bluntly.

"Yes, you are absolutely right," Elmyra commented with affirmation. "Another factor to look at is his background."

"His background?" Tifa asked uncertainly.

"I understand if his background makes him more of a mysterious man," Ms. Gainsborough admitted. "We do not see many 'Jedi Knights' in this planet." The woman gave a small chuckle at her own strange comment.

The trio, however, did not get the joke. "...What are 'Jedi Knights'?" Tifa finally asked.

"...You do not know who they are?" Elmyra asked as she suddenly became nervous. "...Oh dear..."

Cloud immediately caught the nervousness in the middle-aged woman's voice. "What is a 'Jedi Knight'?" he asked with slight caution.

After sighing, Ms. Gainsborough simply answered reflectively, "I'm not the right person to ask about that."

_Not the right person?_ the blonde wondered. _Could she be meaning that I should ask Obi-Wan?_

Before the ex-SOLDIER gave any more thought to this 'Jedi Knight' subject, Marlene came running down the stairs, asking her father excitedly, "Dad! Are you and your friends going to save Aerith?"

After giving Cloud a thoughtful look, Barret replied cheerfully, "'Course we're gonna go save her! She's a friend!" The gun-armed man turned to Cloud and said assertively, "I know you're plannin' to go break into Shinra's little HQ. I owe that Aerith girl my life, so take me with ya!"

Afterward, Tifa went to the blonde and asked, "You're going to save Aerith, right?"

"Yeah," Cloud answered with a nod.

"Then, I'm going with you," the fighter said with certitude.

"We're going right into Shinra headquarters," the ex-SOLDIER warned. "You gotta be prepared for the worst."

"I know," Tifa admitted as she nodded with certainty. "But right now, I feel like I have to push myself to the limit. If I stay here, I think I'll go crazy."

After having a small talk with his daughter, Barret turned to Elmyra and requested solemnly, "Sorry, but can you take care of Marlene a bit longer?"

"Yes, I don't mind," Ms. Gainsborough said with a small nod.

After thinking for moment, the gun-armed man warned, "This place is dangerous now. You better go somewhere else."

"...You're right," Elmyra said sadly as she looked around the living room she was about to leave. "But, promise me that you'll come back for your daughter. Don't get yourself killed."

Several minutes of discussion and talking later, Cloud, Barret, and Tifa left the house and planned their next move.

"How do we get to the Shinra Building?" the fighter asked as she looked at the large, metal plate that covered the skies.

"We should first get to the train," the burly man said as he crossed his arms. "Then, we'll have to jump off the train at the right time."

"We probably need our fake ID's. Do we still have them?" the ex-SOLDIER asked his teammates as he took out his from his pocket and showed it to them. "I got mine."

"Got mine," Barret said as he took out his from his pocket.

"I have mine, as well," Tifa said as she took out hers. "But, I don't think these ID's will take us so far. It'll probably work only for boarding the train."

"Don't worry," the gun-armed man said with a smirk. "I know a secret passage that comes up before the security checkpoint. We just need to time our jump carefully."

"Then that means we're all set," Cloud announced as he put away his ID card. "Let's go to the train station."

* * *

><p>Obi-Wan was currently near the small stairway that lead to the front door of the Shinra Building. The Jedi was simply sitting on the ground by a wall, looking unimportant with his hood covering most of his face. Although it looked like he was sleeping, the robed man was actually channeling the Force through him and eavesdropping on several Shinra employees who were entering and leaving the building. His current goal was to find an unimportant employee of the company.<p>

The knight had to admit, however, that the city above the plate was remarkably better than the slums below. The buildings were in much better condition. There were vehicles being used all over the place. Electricity was abundant in all buildings. The whole city was built in a very organized fashion. In the middle of the city stood the towering, seventy-floor Shinra Headquarters.

Although the Jedi wasn't able to read minds like a book, he was able to feel a person's emotions and roughly know the caused of the emotions. The weaker the mind was, the easier it was for the robed man to read it.

Several minutes later, Obi-Wan was able to feel the presence of a security guard walking nearby. The Jedi knew that this guard was walking around the building several times after Obi-Wan sat down on his spot. However, the robed man was able to feel a strong emotion in the security guard. It was nervousness. It was not nervousness caused by fear. It was nervousness that all new employees felt, which meant that this security guard was a new guy in work.

There was a reason why Obi-Wan picked his spot near the stairway outside the building. There were no security cameras or guards near the spot. When the security guard walked nearby, the Jedi initiated his plan and began to cough severely.

The coughing was able to catch the guard's attention. The man walked out of the security camera range and up to the robed man. "Sir," he began as the Jedi continued to cough, "are you alright?"

As he continued his fake cough, Obi-Wan closely inspected the security guard. The man was slightly taller than he was, but his body shape was similar with the Jedi's. He was wearing a navy blue cap, navy blue pants, a blue necktie, and a sky blue dress shirt with shoulder emblems. _This one will do_, the robed man thought as he continued to cough. As he slowly finished his coughing act, Obi-Wan asked with a fake, hoarse voice, "Thank you, young man."

"Don't mention it, sir," the guard said with a grin.

"Tell me, what is your name?"

"It's Theodore Duffman, sir."

"Thank you."

Before Theodore replied, Obi-Wan placed his finger on the guard's head. The Jedi used the Force to put the man into a timed sleep, causing Theodore to stumble onto the robed man. As he held Theodore's unconscious body, Obi-Wan opened up the manhole with a wave of his hand. He jumped into the hole to the sewers as he carefully held the guard's unconscious body.

Obi-Wan landed on one of the elevated platforms that stood above the dirty current of sewage water. He quickly took off the guard's clothes save his undergarments and took off his own robes. The Jedi then wore the security guard uniform, which fitted on him rather nicely.

Obi-Wan neatly folded his clothes and placed them on his brown robe. The Jedi then wrapped his robe and made it into a brown bag of clothes.

After giving the unconscious guard a glance, the knight climbed out through the manhole with his 'bag' in his hand. _That man will wake up in six hours_, he thought as he closed the manhole with a swipe of his hand. _I only have that much time to find out the source of the presence of the Dark Side._

Taking in a deep breath, Obi-Wan walked into the belly of the beast, the Shinra Headquarters.


	8. Into the Belly of the Beast

_**"Somewhere in the world there is an epigram for every dilemma."**_

**FORGE THE PATH**

**Chapter VIII : Into the Belly of the Beast**

As Obi-Wan ran up the stairs in front of the entrance of the Shinra Headquarters, he looked up to see the whole building. The skyscraper itself was most certainly not as impressive as the towers of Coruscant, but the thought that evil was present in it kept the Jedi on his toes.

_Act casual_, Obi-Wan warned himself as he dropped his "bag" of cloth. _Let's see what this man had in his pockets_, he thought as he searched the pockets of his new pants. A second later, he pulled out a brown, worn-out leather wallet. The undercover Jedi was able to find two-hundred gils, a credit card, a wrinkled photograph of Theodore Duffman with people who appeared to be his family, and his worker ID card. After quickly inspecting the ID, Obi-Wan was able to confirm his suspicions; Mr. Duffman just began to work in the Shinra HQ three days ago.

_This seems good enough_, the Jedi thought with content as he put the wallet back into his pocket. He picked up his bag and walked through one of the fancy glass doors.

As Obi-Wan entered the lobby of the headquarters, he was taken aback by the dazzling design of the room (dazzling especially compared to the scenery he laid his eyes on ever since arriving in Midgar). In front of him stood an imposing rectangular glass monument with the Shinra logo imprinted on it. On the right and the left sides of the room, there were large stairs that were beautifully designed with dark blue carpets and golden handrails. Beyond the glass monument, there was an Exhibit Room that displayed various vehicle models.

_Not bad_, Obi-Wan mused with a shake of his head.

"Excuse me, sir," a woman said from the front desk.

_Oh, right. The receptionist_, the undercover Jedi reminded himself as he adjusted his blue cap and turned to the receptionist. "What is it, ma'am?"

"Did you happen to see Theodore Duffman?" she asked as she read the name from a small piece of notebook paper.

"I am Theodore Duffman," Obi-Wan lied with confidence.

The receptionist looked up at the undercover Jedi with a look of suspicion. "...Really?"

"Yes, I am positive," the man said with a small nod. He was also positive that he looked nothing like Duffman. The real security guard sounded younger and had darker skin and no beard.

"Then, may I see your Shinra ID?" the receptionist asked with her eyebrow raised.

Obi-Wan pulled out his wallet and took out Duffman's Shinra ID. "Here you go," he said as he handed the ID card to the lady.

Before the receptionist was able to see how different the man in front of her looked like from the picture on the ID card, the undercover Jedi swiftly waved his right hand and said, "As you can see, I am Theodore Duffman."

"You are Theodore Duffman," the receptionist said blankly as she handed the card back to the Jedi.

"I will be going on now. You may carry on with your work."

"You can go on now," the lady said as she looked at the piece of paper she was holding.

Before Obi-Wan moved, however, the receptionist suddenly exclaimed, "Oh, I nearly forgot!"

"What is it?" the Jedi inquired as he turned to face her.

"Mr. Duffman, someone reported that you left your pistol in locker 327 yesterday," she announced as she rubbed her temples. "I suggest you head back to the sixty-fourth floor and take your firearm. Security guards at your level aren't allowed to hold on to their weapons when they're not present in the Shinra Building."

"Oh, my bad," the undercover Jedi apologized as he scratched his head.

"Just be careful next time," the woman said indifferently. "In case you forgot, you can take one of the elevators over there," she advised as she pointed at the two adjacent elevators that were located next to the stairway on the right side of the lobby.

"I see," Obi-Wan mumbled as he looked at the elevators. After saying a "Thank you", he calmly advanced to the left elevator and pressed the "Up" button. The automatic door did not open, so the Jedi presumed that the elevator car had not arrived yet.

While the Jedi Master was waiting for the elevator, he began to check Duffman's wallet, this time more thoroughly. As he looked through its contents, Obi-Wan discovered a yellow card with "Shinra Master Key Card" imprinted on it with black bold letters.

_A_ _key card?_ the Jedi pondered as he scrutinized the card. _A key card for what, I wonder?_

Few moments later, the elevator door opened. After the undercover Jedi walked in, he observed the operating panel. The first to the fifty-ninth floor buttons were glowing in yellow while the sixtieth to the seventieth floor buttons were glowing in red. There were, however, no sixty-seventh or sixty-eighth floors.

_The receptionist said that Duffman left his firearm in his locker_, Obi-Wan thought, tapping his chin. _I should probably go to the sixty-fourth floor_.

When the auburn-haired man pushed the '64' button, there was a small beep and an automated voice said from the speaker, "Please insert your key card into the operating panel to go to the designated floor."

_…I guess that answers my previous question about the key card_, the Jedi thought. He inserted his card into the machine and the red buttons turned yellow almost instantly. _Ah, now I can go to the sixty-fourth floor_, he thought with a grin as he pushed the '64' button once again.

As the elevator slowly ascended to the sixty-fourth floor, Obi-Wan looked outside the glass wall of the elevator and saw the entire city of Shinra before him. The view of the spectacular, clean, organized city was so contrasting with the crumbling slums below that it made the Jedi slightly uneasy.

A soft "ding" signaled the auburn-haired man that the elevator arrived at the sixty-fourth floor. As Obi-Wan got off the elevator, he noticed a large, dark-gray "64" that was on the wall in front of the elevators. The undercover Jedi decided to tour the place to search for the locker room. When the knight faced left, he spotted a metal door on the wall in front of him. _Where will this door lead to? _wondered the Jedi as he ambled to the mystery door. The mechanical door, detecting someone's presence in front of it, automatically opened.

_Oh. It's a gym_, the man mused as he peered inside the room. The gym was a large, bright, quadrilateral room that housed weights, fitness mats, and many other workout equipments. There were already two people in the gym. The Jedi decided not to disturb their workout session and continued across the hallway.

During Obi-Wan's perambulation, he was able to find the employees' rest area, a restroom, and the shower room. The Jedi even greeted several people in the process. Ten minutes later, Obi-Wan finally found the locker room he was looking for. When he entered the room, he immediately began searching for locker 327. The search itself was nowhere near difficult; the undercover Jedi found his locker in a minute.

After ascertaining that no one else was in the room, Obi-Wan placed his bag of cloth on the floor and unlocked the locker with a swift wave of his hand. Inside of it, he was able to find some clothing, a black duffel bag, a black pistol, and a black leather holster with some ammunition clips on it.

_I better put on the holster_, the Jedi thought as he carefully took it out. The auburn-haired man then noticed something about the leather device. _This kind of holster is rather similar to the one in my world_, he realized with a grin as he began to wrap the straps around his right thigh.

Obi-Wan took out the pistol from the locker and carefully studied it. The gun had a bit more of a boxy feeling than the pistols in his world, but overall, the Jedi was comfortable with it.

After putting his pistol into his holster, the man pulled out the duffel bag from the locker. When he unzipped the bag, he saw that there was nothing in it. _This bag may be able to hide my belongings_, Obi-Wan considered with a grin. So, he tried to smash his bag of robes and lightsaber into the bag; however, the attempt was fruitless. After smacking his face with annoyance, he tried neatly folding up his clothing and carefully stuffing them into the duffel bag. The auburn-haired man was successful this time, so he stored the lightsaber and zipped up the bag. The Jedi then swung the duffel bag onto his right shoulder.

_I am armed and ready_, Obi-Wan thought as he adjusted his cap. With that, he confidently exited the locker room and headed for the elevator as he tapped his mind into the Force. After careful telepathic inspection, the Jedi deduced that he must head to higher level.

* * *

><p>"This better be the right way," Cloud grumbled as he strolled behind Tifa and Barret.<p>

The trio were in a large complex sewer system, walking on an elevated platform. Every turn they made, the place looked exactly the same; a long, cylindrical tunnel with currents of sewage flowing beneath them. Despite this, Barret claimed that he knew the path, even though the sewers were barely lit.

"I keep tellin' ya, this is the right way!" the gun-armed man growled as he carefully trekked through the maze. After several minutes of walking, Barret pointed to the wall on his left. "Ya see this 'X'?"

"To be honest, I can only see it because of Cloud's illuminating eyes," Tifa stated as she studied the marking on the wall.

"Whatever," Barret grumbled as he crossed his arms. "Anyway, this 'X' means that we're near. All we gotta do is walk straight from this point."

"I'm surprised to see how you were able to memorize the pathway," the swordsman admitted.

"I'm not an AVALANCHE leader for nothin'!" the burly man said as he puffed his chest. When he turned around to start walking, however, he made out a silhouette of a person lying on the elevated platform. "The hell is that?" he blurted.

"What's wrong?" Tifa asked, slightly alarmed by the change in the gun-armed man's voice.

"Wait, I see something," Cloud said as he started running past his allies.

With a bit of help from her friend's illuminating eyes, the bar hostess noticed the person in question, as well. "Let's go, Barret!" she shouted as she began to follow the ex-SOLDIER.

"...Seriously," the AVALANCHE leader grumbled to himself as he followed the two. "Why does it sometimes feel like I'm not the leader when that spiky head's around?"

As the three neared the lying figure, Cloud promptly announced, "This guy is naked."

"Eh?" his two allies blurted as they surrounded the person in question. With the help from Cloud's eyes, they were able to clearly see that the unconscious man was only in his underwear.

Barret rubbing his chin and asked, "Is this guy dead?"

The blond crouched and placed his fingers on the unconscious man's neck. "...He's alive," he asserted after feeling the pulse.

"It looks like he fainted," Tifa surmised as she thoughtfully tapped her chin. "Although, I can't put my finger on why this guy is naked."

After scratching his head, the gun-armed man asked the swordsman, "D'you think his bones are broken or somethin'?"

"Other than lying unconsciously in the sewers with only his underwear on, he is perfectly fine," Cloud stated as he studied the unconscious body.

"Then he should be fine," Barret said as he started to climb a nearby ladder. "Anyway, this is the way out. The Shinra Building is just outside the manhole."

As the AVALANCHE leader climbed up, Tifa asked her blond friend, "So, the building is just out of that manhole?"

"Seems like it," Cloud answered with a nod.

"It's funny, if you ask me," the fighter said as she studied the unconscious body. "Why would this man be directly under the manhole in front of the Shinra Building?"

"I'm not entirely sure myself," the swordsman began, "but I think this man is a Shinra employee."

"Shinra employee?" asked Tifa, growing uneasy. "What makes you say that?"

"It's only a speculation," Cloud continued. "I think someone stole this man's clothes and accessories to sneak into Shinra HQ."

"...I wonder," the bar hostess mused out loud. "Could this infiltrator be our ally?"

"Ally or not, I doubt we'll be able to meet him," the ex-SOLDIER stated.

"Or her," Tifa finished with a smile.

"...Or her," Cloud agreed sheepishly as he scratched his head.

"Hey!" Barret shouted from above. "Will ya two shut up and climb up? We don't have all day!"

When the three climbed out of the sewers, Barret closed up the manhole. The AVALANCHE team then stared at the building before them.

"Damn," the AVALANCHE leader grumbled. "That's one big ass building if ya ask me." Then, Barret realized something and turned to Cloud. "Hey, you oughta know this building well."

The blond swordsman did not say anything in response.

"Hey! Ya there?" Barret shouted, slightly annoyed.

"... Not really, now that I think about it," Cloud slowly admitted. "This is the first time I've ever been to the headquarters."

Although the AVALANCHE leader did not give much thought to his comment, Tifa noticed something strange. _The tone of his voice suddenly changed_, the fighter thought as she looked at Cloud, who was now simply staring at the building. _He was noticeably cautious when he was answering Barret's question._

Before Tifa gave more thought to this, Barret interrupted her train of thought and said, "I heard about this place before. Every floor above the sixtieth is special and not easy to get to. Even for employees." With a nod of certainty, the gun-armed man crossed his arms and asserted, "Must be where they took Aerith." He then turned to his allies and said, "The security's pretty light now. Awright, let's go!"

Just as Barret began to run for the entrance, Tifa exclaimed with shock, "Wait a second! You're not thinking about just going right through the main entrance, are you?"

At this, the gun man quickly stopped and turned to the bar hostess. "Well, what else does it look like?!" he shouted. "I'm gonna kick some Shinra butt and-"

"That's not going to work!" Tifa argued. "We've got to find another way."

"Ain't gonna be no other way!" Barret argued back. "If we keep wastin' time like this, Aerith will-"

"I know that!" the fighter interrupted impatiently. "But if we get caught here..."

When it began to look as though the argument will not reach its conclusion, Cloud stepped in and said, "Sneaking in is probably a better idea."

"...What?" Barret let out in shock.

"See?" Tifa said, happy that Cloud was taking her side. "Let's be careful and find a different route."

"...Fine," the AVALANCHE leader grumbled in defeat.

As the trio sneaked around the building, they went down a side alley and found a door. When they entered, they noticed that they were in an emergency stairway. The stairway, however, seemed to go on forever.

"You..." Barret stuttered as he looked at the stairs above them. "You really gonna take these stairs all the way up?"

"We've got to get to Aerith to help her somehow," Tifa stated stubbornly. She was, however, slightly daunted by the seemingly-endless stairway they had to climb.

"Talk about out of the way..." the gun-armed man continued to stall the inevitable.

Finally fed up with Barret's complaining, Tifa shouted, "I don't have time to argue with you! I'm going!" With that, she began to run up the stairs.

"Y-yo, Tifa! Don't go off alone!" Barret exclaimed as he began to run up the stairs.

_This is going to take awhile_, Cloud thought with a sigh as he started to climb the stairs.

Several minutes of climbing later, Barret, who was still running, barely let out between his breaths, "Don't... know... why... the hell... we gotta... climb..."

"Because, we don't want to start a commotion until we save Aerith," Cloud, who was not tired at all due to his SOLDIER enhancements, answered as he ran up the stairs. "... I doubt that's possible, though."

"...Heh heh heh," Barrett let out a strange chuckle as he continued on.

"Knock it off," the irritated swordsman commanded. "You're giving me the creeps."

"...So, even you... will fight... for someone else," the gun-armed man said between his breaths with chuckle. "I... had you... figured wrong... I guess."

Cloud, who was now very irritated, snapped back, "Who cares what you figured!"

"I'm just sayin'," Barret continued as he ran, "maybe I was wrong."

Tifa, who was mostly quiet during the trip, finally chuckled, "...Heh heh heh."

_Damn it_, Cloud thought. _Not Tifa, too._ "What's that supposed to mean, Tifa?"

Before the fighter was able to answer, Barret asked, "How... much farther... do these... stairs go on?"

"Why don't you ask them?" Tifa suggested sarcastically.

"It's... not one.. of them... endless... stairways or somethin'... d'ya think?" the fatigue AVALANCHE leader suggested.

"Look, don't even ask!" exclaimed the angry bar hostess as she continued to run upstairs. "We're way way way way way far away from being there, okay?!"

After several more minutes of climbing, Barret, who was now furious, declared, "Damn, man! I've had it! I'm going back!"

"And take just as long going down as you did coming up?" Tifa asked with an eyebrow raised.

Barret's face twisted in horror as he thought about Tifa's comment. The three then continued to run up the stairs.

_I can't stand running up the stairs with these insane people any longer_, Cloud thought hopelessly as he continued running.

Several more minutes of climbing later, Barret, who now seemed half dead, murmured, "Man, I'm beat... Marlene, Daddy wanted to see your face one more time..."

_Holy shit_, the blond thought, genuinely surprised to see his employer get exhausted over some stairs.

The enraged Tifa roared at Barret, "Would you stop acting like a _retard_ and climb?! It's just a bit more!" After giving a second thought to her comment, she quietly added, "...Maybe."

At long last, the three reached the top of the long stairway.

"Looks like we finally arrived," Cloud said calmly after yawning.

At this, Barret was filled with unprecedented joy and panted, "F... finally... m... made it... Never... wanna see... no more stairs... the rest of my life..."

Tifa, who was tired to a lesser extent, huffed, "...This... really takes it out of you..." After recovering some of her energy, she said, "But, this is it. We'd better get ready!"

"Let's walk out the doorway first," the blond said as he walked up to the silver door.

"Hopefully... we got... the hard parts... outta the way..." the gun-armed man panted on.

The room they entered was bright, clean, and big. Before they were able to do much, however, the three guards in red armor who were guarding the room shouted, "Destroy the intruders!"

Cloud unsheathed his Buster Sword and said, "Looks like we gotta fight them."

Barret, who barely recovered any energy, let out, "Aw...shiiiiiiiiiiiii-!"

* * *

><p>On the sixty-fifth floor, Obi-Wan just finished his search. The floor contained several interesting features. The center of the floor had a cylindrical room containing a scale replica of Midgar. Peculiarly, some pieces of the model were missing, but the Jedi only gave little thought to it and left the room. There were also several other rooms with locked doors scattered around the floor. Using the Force, Obi-Wan unlocked every door quickly and furtively. Most of the rooms were only storage rooms with small chests that contained, for some odd reason, parts for the replica of Midgar. The last door the Jedi knight unlocked led to a stairway. What caught the man's attention, however, was another chest that was resting next to the stairway. When Obi-Wan opened it, all he found a card that read "Shinra Key Card – 66th floor".<p>

_"Sixty-sixth floor"?_ the Jedi wondered. _Is this card only for accessing the sixty-sixth floor? _After shaking his head in disapproval, the knight thought, _How redundant!_ With that, he left the card in the chest and headed for the elevator.

Obi-Wan pushed the "Up" button and waited for elevator to arrive. As he was waiting, he pulled out Duffman's wallet from his pocket and took out the master key card from it. While the Jedi was waiting, however, a guard in red armor began to approach him from the other side of the hallway.

_...Oh. Not good,_Obi-Wan said silently as he glimpsed a peek at the guard. _It seems that the guard saw through my disguise._ The employee was approaching the knight fast. Undoubtedly, the guard was trying to talk to the undercover Jedi. So, the auburn-haired man tapped his mind into the Force to perform mind tricks on the man.

"Sir," the guard began.

"Yes?" Obi-Wan replied calmly, ready to use his mind tricks.

"Is that a master key card you are holding right now?"

"...Yes."

"...Er... I'm sorry, but can you take me to the sixty-sixth floor?" the guard asked sheepishly.

"...Sorry?" Obi-Wan, who did not expect this sort of question from the man, asked.

"I... lost my key cards."

"...Oh, I see," the Jedi answered with a slow nod.

"Yeah..." the employee murmured. "I'm sorry if I'm interrupting you from anything or something..."

"No, it's quite alright," the knight assured with a smile. "Coincidentally, I was going to the sixty-sixth floor."

"Ah, that's good," the guard commented.

When the elevator arrived, the two entered the elevator. Obi-Wan inserted his key card into the control panel and pressed the "66" button.

As the elevator door opened, the guard quickly went to the hallway on the right. The Jedi exited the elevator and observed his surroundings. He also took a few minutes to tour around. After his small expedition, Obi-Wan learned that the room in the center of the floor was the meeting room and the smaller rooms surrounding the meeting room were some executive offices. A stairway room was located next to the central room. There was also one restroom located at the corner of the floor.

_Interestingly enough, this is the second restroom I've seen in this building so far_, the knight mused with a smirk.

After finishing his tour, Obi-Wan began to notice that despite the dark side of the Force being present, it was becoming increasingly difficult to pinpoint the location of the source of the dark side.

_This is not good, the Jedi thought with concern as he stroked his beard. Perhaps this evil being noticed my presence and decided to conceal itself. That could be the reason why it is becoming more difficult to locate this entity._

_ In that case, I will have to hasten my investigation_, Obi-Wan decided as he adjusted his cap. _Nothing seems to be out of the ordinary here. I should check out the next floor._

As the knight began to walk to the elevator, he realized something important about the sixty-seventh floor. _Blast_, he thought as he shook his head. _The elevator doesn't go to the next floor. It skips to the sixty-ninth floor._ With that, he turned back and headed toward the stairway room. The Jedi furtively waved his right hand and unlocked the door. He entered the room and climbed up the stairs.

Upon reaching the sixty-seventh floor, Obi-Wan exited the stairway room and walked through a long hallway that curved right. As he walked, he began to notice that the general atmosphere of this floor was darker.

Interestingly, no people other than Obi-Wan were in the hallway. Obi-Wan surmised that everyone else were in their workspace, for he was able to hear voices and typing noises behind the walls and doors.

The Jedi was able to sense the dark side of the Force, but, as before, he was unable to pinpoint the exact location of the source. Nevertheless, he continued on through the hallway.

Eventually, the knight ended up in a large, dark room. The room was messy; there were many big wooden crates scattered about. What caught his attention, however, were two things. One, there was a large metal dome with purple light emanating out of the window of the container's door. Two, a red beast that looked like a wolf was curled up, sleeping in a large glass tube.

Obi-Wan decided to inspect the metal dome first. After taking a glance behind him to check if nobody was around, he cautiously approached the dome. He then dropped his duffel bag. When he took a peek inside, he saw a deformed, purple body of a woman lacking a head.

_Hmm... This one looks rather... odd_, the Jedi mused as he crossed his arms. He was not able to feel the dark side of the Force within the body, so he decided to move on to the one in the glass tube.

Obi-Wan closely observed the beast in the container. The animal looked like a mix between a lion and a wolf. It had dark red and orange fur and a thin brown mane that extended partway down its back. The beast also had beads, earrings, and feathers around his head.

Several seconds later, the creature seemed to notice the Jedi's presence, for it woke up, yawned, and rose to a sitting position. For a moment, the beast and the knight stared at each other. In the end, it was the beast who broke the silence. "What do you want?" it asked.

"Who are you?" Obi-Wan asked back calmly as he began to telepathically check if the animal was the source of the dark presence.

"...Funny" the animal mused out loud.

"What is?" the knight asked as he crossed his arms.

"You're the first one to not be surprised by my ability to talk," the beast said.

"...Why should I be surprised by your ability to talk?" Obi-Wan inquired with his eyebrow raised.

After a beat of silence, the creature responded with its eyebrow raised, "...Because you don't commonly see a talking four-legged being."

Before the knight decided to argue that he met many four-legged beings who were able to talk in his life, he remembered that he was in a planet isolated from the rest of the universe. He also remembered that the only sentient species he met on this planet were the humans.

So, he replied naturally, "Well, let's just say I've seen many strange things in my life."

"...I see," the beast commented with a slow nod.

"You still haven't answered my question, by the way," Obi-Wan said.

"What question?"

"Who are you?"

"...Oh, that question," the animal realized. He then answered, "Hojo has named me Red XIII, a name with no meaning to me. Call me whatever you wish."

"Then, what is your real name?" the Jedi asked once more.

"My real name is Nanaki. Yours?"

"Obi-Wan. How did you end up here, Nanaki?"

"...I was captured by Shinra while I was performing a ritual with another member of my tribe," Nanaki responded as he lowered his head. "They said they needed a new specimen."

"I see," Obi-Wan murmured with a slow nod. At this time, he completed his telepathic inspection. Apparently, Nanaki was not the source of the dark presence.

"Is there anything else you need to know?" the red beast asked.

The knight pondered. What else should he ask? By focusing through the Force, Obi-Wan was able to tell easily that Nanaki was trustworthy. Also, the red lion may know something that could be helpful to the Jedi's quest to return to his world.

"Where is your hometown?" the Jedi asked.

"It's in the Red Canyon. It's far south from Midgar," Nanaki replied.

"Do you have any family members or relatives?"

"I have grandpa. His name is Bugenhagen."

"I see. Is he a red lion like you?"

"No. He's human."

"Human?" Obi-Wan repeated, slightly taken aback by the unexpected answer.

"Yes. But not only is he human, but he's turning 130 this birthday. He is also very smart," Nanaki added with assurance.

"How smart?"

"Very, ve-..." The red lion paused in the middle of his sentence, thinking that he just revealed too much. "Wait, why do you need to..."

_I have no idea where I am and how to go back to my world_, the Jedi thought. _This "Bugenhagen" seems like the best bet I currently have. If I am fortunate enough, he may be able to know what to do._ The Jedi Master then made his decision.

"Nanaki," Obi-Wan called.

"...What?" Nanaki asked with uneasiness.

"I'll make a deal," the knight said.

"What kind of deal?" the red beast asked, eyes widening with surprise.

"I will free you."

"...What?" Nanaki asked with wide eyes.

"I will free you," the undercover man repeated.

"Won't your boss get furious?" the red beast asked with doubt.

"They would get furious," Obi-Wan agreed with a nod of his head. "Except, I'm not a Shinra employee."

"Wait. What?" Nanaki nearly exclaimed. "Then why are you here?"

"Well, there is... someone I need to... deal with," the knight worded his sentence carefully. "And, I need your help finding this person."

"Is that all?" the red lion asked with hope gleaming in his eyes.

"After that, I need you to lead me to your grandfather," Obi-Wan continued. "I believe I am in need of his help."

Almost instantly, Nanaki responded, "Deal."

* * *

><p>Cloud, Tifa, and Barret were not able to acquire the master card, so they had to resort to stealing card keys for each floors. Through trials and hard work, they were able to get the card for the sixty-sixth floor. With that, the three entered the elevator, inserted the card, and pressed the '66' button.<p>

"Damn," Barret grumbled. "Gettin' these key cards is such a hassle."

"Well, it's better than running up the stairs," Tifa pointed out.

"...True that," the gun man said with a nod.

When the elevator doors began to open, Cloud caught a glimpse of a plump man in a khaki suit entering a large room and closing a large door behind him.

Upon viewing the large door, Barret wondered out loud as he exited the elevator, "I wonder what's behind that door?"

"Someone just entered the room," the blond swordsman stated as he followed. "It could be a meeting."

"A meeting?" the bar hostess said as she walked out. "It might be useful if we can eavesdrop on their discussion."

"True," Cloud agreed with a nod. "Except, we can't just parade into the room. I doubt we can hear through the wall, as well."

After much pondering, Barret suggested, "Y'know? We might be able to hear them through the air vents."

"Air vents?" the blond asked with confusion.

"Yeah," the burly man answered with a nod. "If we hear carefully enough, we might be able to eavesdrop on the meetin' from another room."

"But where can we stay and not get caught?" Tifa asked.

"...The restroom," Cloud answered as the idea formed in his head. "That's the only place where people won't stick their noses into our little eavesdropping session. Plus, there is bound to be an air vent in a restroom."

"Good idea," Barret approved. "Now, all we gotta do is find a restroom."

"It's at the other side of this floor," Tifa answered quickly as she began to lead the way. "I found it while you guys were talking."

The three cautiously entered the restroom. When they saw that no one was there, the trio immediately began to search for the air vent. The first to spot one was Cloud.

"There it is," he said as he pointed at a rather large air vent on the ceiling. To be more precise, it was directly above a stall.

"Let's all get in and try eavesdroppin'," Barret half-exclaimed as he opened the stall room. In it, there was only one white toilet with a roll of toilet paper attached to the wall. "If we all squeeze in, it should be good."

"I'll stand on the toilet," the blond swordsman stated calmly as he entered the stall. "You guys stay next to me."

The three squeezed into the stall and Cloud carefully stood on the brim of the toilet. As he inclined his ear towards the air vent, he focused hard to catch any words seeping through the air vents. Although he was able to hear chatter through the air vent, the blond soldier was not able to hear clearly.

"Any luck?" Tifa asked as she looked up at Cloud.

With a shake of his head, Cloud murmured, "If we were only a little closer, I think we'll be able to hear what's going on in that meeting."

"Hmm... Should we just give up?" Barret wondered as he rubbed his chin. "We were here to rescue Aerith and get out anyway."

"If we do successfully eavesdrop on the meeting," Tifa reasoned, "then we might be able to learn about Aerith's location and more about Shinra's motives."

At that moment, Cloud decided, "We can't just let this opportunity go."

"Then how will we eavesdrop?" Barret questioned as he crossed his arms.

When the blond thought about that question, something clicked in his mind. "Hang on," the swordsman mused out lout. "This air vent might be wide enough for us to crawl through."

"...What?" the gun man asked.

Without waiting for any other comments, Cloud punched the air vent lid open and hoisted himself up into the vent pipe. He was able to discover that the pipe was wide enough for the three of them to crawl through.

"...Why didn't I think of this sooner?" the blond asked himself as he scratched his head. He then turned to his teammates in the stall and said, "Follow me."

"Geez," Tifa mumbled. "Why didn't we think of this idea sooner?"

"No point regrettin' it now," Barret stated as he climbed into the vent.

The three quietly crawled through the vent and stopped at the air vent lid above the meeting room.

"Looks like we're not too late," Barret whispered with a smirk as he looked at the meeting below. "Geez, that's a lot a' suits."

The meeting room below consisted of President Shinra, a blond woman in a red dress, a plump man with graying hair Cloud saw earlier, a man with a full black beard in a green suit, and a black-haired skinny man in a blue suit, all seated around a large rectangular table.

"The Promised Land will soon be ours," Shinra asserted to the other member. He then turned to the man in a khaki suit and said, "Palmer, I want you to raise the Mako rates by fifteen percent in every area."

At that, the plump man exclaimed in childish delight, "Rate hike! Rate hike! Tra la la! And please include our Space Program in the budget!"

"Reeve and Scarlet will divide the extra income from the rate increase," the president continued as he turned to the woman and the man in a blue suit.

Not delighted by any of this, the man in a blue suit, Reeve, raised his voice and said, "Sir, if you raise the rates, the people will lose confidence-"

"It will be alright," Shinra brushed away without much care. "The ignorant citizens won't lose confidence. They'll trust our incorporation even more."

At that comment, the man with a full beard gave a hearty laugh. "Ha ha ha! After all, we're the ones who are trying to save the city from AVALANCHE!"

"You are quite correct, Heidegger," the president commented.

As Heidegger finished laughing, a middle-aged man with long black hair entered the room. It was apparent to anyone that he was scientist since he was wearing a long white lab coat.

"Hojo," Shinra began, "how's the girl?"

"As a specimen, she is inferior to her mother," Hojo replied as he straightened his glasses. "I'm still in the process of comparing her to her mother, Ifalna. For now, the difference is eighteen percent."

After rubbing his chin, the president asked, "How long will the research take?"

As the scientist looked up at the ceiling, he answered, "Approximately 120 years. It's impossible to finish this research in our lifetime, or the lifetime of the specimen, for that matter."

Before anyone else in the room said anything about this, Hojo continued, "That's why we're thinking of breeding her. Then, we could create one that could withstand our research for a long time."

"What about the promised land?" the president inquired seriously. "Won't it hinder our plans?"

After placing his hand over his chin, the scientist stated with concern, "That's what I need to plan. The mother is strong and yet has her weaknesses." At that, he mildly chuckled to himself.

"...That concludes our meeting," President Shinra announced as he stood up from his chair.

With the meeting done, everyone stood up and began leaving the room. Scarlet, however, looked around the room, saying to herself, "Something stinks..." When she wasn't able to find the source of the "stench", she left the room.

Once everyone was out of the room, Cloud turned to Barret and Tifa and asked, "They were talking about Aerith, right?"

"...I dunno," Barret honestly answered with a shrug.

"Probably," Tifa nodded grimly.

"Let's follow them," the blond swordsman said as he began to crawl back to the bathroom.

When the three climbed out of the air vent, Barret suddenly said, "I remember him."

"Who?" Cloud and Tifa said simultaneously.

"That guy in a labcoat," the gun man explained. "That Hojo guy is in charge of Shinra's Science Department. Cloud, don't you know him?"

Cloud only shook his head and answered, "This is the first time I've actually ever seen him. So, that's what he looks like... Anyway, we can chat later. Let's go."

* * *

><p>"How will you break me out of this tube?" Nanaki asked.<p>

"It's simple," Obi-Wan answered with a smile. "I need you to stand back, though."

"Alright," the red beast said as he took several steps away from the Jedi.

Before Obi-Wan was able to reach for his bag, he heard footsteps approaching the room. He turned to the red lion and warned, "Someone's coming. Act casual for now."

"Alright," Nanaki quickly said with a nod as he lied down. "You better hide yourself quickly."

The knight grabbed his duffel bag and dived into a nearby pile of wooden boxes. He quickly buried himself and made a small peeking hole to see what was going on outside of his wooden shelter.

From his hiding point, the Jedi spotted a scientist with long black hair entering the room. The skinny man walked up to the tube Nanaki was in and quietly observed him. At that moment, he was able to hear more footsteps. When Obi-Wan turned to look at the entrance, he was surprised to see Cloud, Tifa, and Barret run in. The trio looked surprised when they saw the skinny professor and they, too, quickly darted behind a nearby wooden box. Fortunately, the scientist seemed to preoccupied with Nanaki to notice anything suspicious.

_So, it seems that the interrogation went successfully_, Obi-Wan thought with a smile as he saw the AVALANCHE trio.

Several seconds later, a man in a gray suit entered the room and asked the scientist, "Is this today's specimen?"

"Yes," the scientist replied as he turned to the man. "We're starting right away. Raise it to the upper level."

The man nodded and walked out of the room.

The skinny scientist turned back to Nanaki and murmured, "My precious specimen..." After tapping the tube several times, he walked out of the room.

When the coast was clear, Cloud, Tifa, and Barret left their hiding spot and walked up to Nanaki. The bar hostess peered closer at the red lion and said, "'Precious specimen'?" She then turned to her allies and asked, "Is it going to be used for a biological experiment?"

Cloud, however, was more interested in the dome-shaped container giving out a purple glow. He read the plate on its door. "Jenova...?"

When he gazed at the contents of the container, however, he began to have a sharp pain in his head. Cloud took several steps back as he clutched his head. The headache caused him to eventually collapse to the ground.

When Obi-Wan saw this, he thought about rushing out to help the blond. However, he decided against this and remained hidden. He was getting a bad feeling something drastic might happen if he showed himself to them. The Jedi did not know why, but he chose to reveal himself to them later.

Tifa and Barret rushed to Cloud when they saw him on the ground. As bar hostess helped her friend up, the swordsman stated, "Jenova... Sephiroth's... So, they brought it here."

"Cloud, be strong," Tifa encouraged.

"Did you see it?" the ex-SOLDIER asked as he recovered.

"See what?" Barret questioned worriedly as he turned to the dome-shaped container.

"Is it... still alive?" Cloud asked as he slowly stood up.

When the gun-armed man gazed through the window, he turned back to Cloud and said, "Where's its damn head? This whole thing's stupid. Let's keep goin'."

With that, the trio went to the other side of the lab and entered what appeared to be an elevator. Several seconds later, the elevator went up.

Obi-Wan remained in his spot for several seconds until he was certain that the coast was clear. He jumped out of his hiding spot with his bag in hand and went up to Nanaki's test tube.

"Seems like the coast is clear," Nanaki stated.

"Yes it is," Obi-Wan answered with a nod.

As Cloud, Tifa, and Barret exited the elevator, they ended up in a large, clear half-circle-shaped laboratory. At the farthest side of the room, they spotted Aerith lying still in a large test tube.

"Aerith!" Cloud exclaimed.

"Aerith?" Hojo, who was in front of the test tube, repeated to himself. "Oh, is that her name? What do you want?"

"We're taking Aerith back," Cloud answered.

"...Outsiders..." the scientist calmly said to himself with realization.

"Shoulda noticed it earlier, you-" Barret growled.

"There are so many frivolous things in this world," Hojo interrupted.

The three ignored the scientist's comment and began to run up to the man.

"Are you going to kill me?" Hojo inquired smoothly. "I don't think you should. The equipment here is extremely delicate. Who could operate this place without me, hmm?"

"Ugh," Cloud grumbled when he realized the scientist had a point.

"That's right," Hojo continued. "I recommend you think things out logically before making any rash moves." He then turned to his worker and shouted, "Now, bring in the specimen!"

* * *

><p>"Stand back," Obi-Wan commanded as he pulled out his lightsaber from his bag.<p>

"Is that a flashlight?" Nanaki asked as he took several steps away from the Jedi.

Without answering the red beast's question, the knight ignited his weapon.

"W-w-what the...?" the red lion blurted in shock as he saw the man's weapon in awe.

Obi-Wan proceeded to cut a large square-shaped hole with his lightsaber. After he finished his work, he jumped into the tube to make sure if the hole was large enough.

"W-what is _that_?!" Nanaki exclaimed as the knight deactivated his weapon.

"It is my weapon," the Jedi answered as he placed his weapon into his duffel bag. "Now, let's head out before we-"

Before Obi-Wan was able to finish his sentence, the platform began to quickly rise.

"What the-?" the Jedi said in surprise. He looked up to see a large hole opening up.

Aerith was jolted awake when the platform in the middle of her test tube opened up. _What's going on?_ she thought in alarm. Whatever was coming out of that hole, it was not going to be pretty.

Cloud, Tifa, and Barret was only able to watch helplessly. _Damn it!_ Cloud cursed to himself. _What am I supposed to do?_

The flower girl prepared for the worst as she tried to stand as far away from the hole as possible. To her horror, what emerged from the hole was a ferocious looking red beast and...

…

…

…

..._Obi?!_ the flower girl tried to say. The words, however, did not come out from her mouth.

..._Aerith?!_ Obi-Wan tried to say. The words, however, did not come out of his mouth.

"...What the hell?" Cloud, Tifa, and Barret blurted out with utter shock. Barret added, "_He_ is the specimen?!"

Hojo was equally shocked. For the first time in years, he was struck speechless. The scientist tried to regain his composure, but all he was able to say was, "What?"

"Screw this!" the gun-armed man shouted. "I'm breaking this damn thing!" He instantly began to shoot the glass tube.

"Duck!" Obi-Wan shouted as he pulled down both Nanaki and Aerith. The bullets began to strike the glass wall, which began to slowly crack.

"Stop!" Hojo cried desperately as he watched the burly man shoot the tube.

As Barret continued to shoot, Aerith shouted at Obi-Wan, "What are you doing here?!"

Equally daunted, the knight shouted back, "What are _you _doing here?!"

"I got captured!" the flower girl shouted back.

"_What_?!"the Jedi exclaimed. "I thought I told you to go home!"

"How did you end up here?!" Aerith shouted as she ignored Obi-Wan's question.

"I sneaked in to deal with something suspicious here!" the Jedi answered.

"_What_?!" the flower girl exclaimed. "I thought you said you were going out for a walk!"

When the tube sustained too much damage from Barret's gun, the test tube began to light up, causing the whole tube to become white.

"Um, guys?" Nanaki said to the arguing duo. "I think this tube is going to open-"

"I lied because I thought you were going to follow me if I told you the truth!" the Jedi reasoned, ignoring the red lion.

"Oh yeah? _Look where I ended up anyway_!" the flower girl argued.

"That's why I told you to _go home_!" Obi-Wan fired back.

"Guys!" Nanaki interrupted.

"What?!" the Jedi finally turned to the red beast.

"You can _talk_?" Aerith gasped in shock.

"The tube is opening up!"

With that, Nanaki jumped out first, biting Hojo's neck firmly. Obi-Wan stood up and helped Aerith get up.

A second later, Cloud entered the tube and asked the flower girl, "Are you alright, Aerith?"

After giving a nod, Aerith said, "Thanks, Cloud."

"Cloud," Obi-Wan began with a smile, "it's a pleasure to see y-"

Before the Jedi finished the statement, he and Cloud heard something whirring from the hole. Something else was coming up.

"Cloud, what's wrong?" Tifa asked as she spotted the blond swordsman staring at the hole.

"The elevator is moving," Cloud answered as he unsheathed his Buster Sword.

The surprised Nanaki released Hojo from his grip and turned to help his new teammates. The recovering scientist gave a wheezy laugh, saying, "This is no ordinary specimen. It is _very_ ferocious!"

The red lion went to the AVALANCHE team and warned, "He's rather strong. I'll help you all out."

"It talked?!" Tifa exclaimed as she turned to the red animal.

"I'll talk as much as you want later, miss," Nanaki responded calmly.

Cloud exited the tube and said to his team, "We'll take care of that monster. Somebody take Aeris somewhere safe."

"I'll do that!" the bar hostess answered quickly.

"I'm counting on you, Tifa!" the blond said.

Immediately, Tifa and Aerith retreated to an isolated part of the lab room.

The blond swordsman turned to the red lion and asked, "What's your name?"  
>"Hojo has named me Red XIII," Nanaki answered, "a name with no meaning to me. Call me whatever you wish."<p>

"You can call him Nanaki," Obi-Wan stated as he pulled out the pistol from his holster. "That is his name."  
>After Cloud gave a nod, he turned back to the test tube and shouted, "Come on!"<p>

Moments later, a large purple-red creature with blue, tentacle-like arms emerged from the tube along with three yellow circular organisms.

"Wow, that's ugly," Barret commented with disgust as he began to shoot the large creature.

Nanaki focused on his red materia and cast a fire spell, damaging all four enemies. The tall creature, sensing that it's in danger, spewed out purple gas from its mouth, poisoning Nanaki and Barret in the process.

A small yellow creature rushed in to attack Nanaki, but Obi-Wan accurately shot the enemy five times, killing it in the process. Cloud focused his energy and launched a lightning spell on the purple specimen, causing it to take several steps back. Barret used this chance to fire at the two remaining yellow specimen. He was, however, distracted by the poison.

"Damn it," the gun-armed man grunted in pain. "Someone give me and Nanaki some antidote!"

The blond swordsman pulled out two from his pocket and threw them to Barret. The gun-armed man caught the projectiles and drank one, giving the other to the red lion.

Obi-Wan took his chance and landed multiple shots on the yellow substances charging towards him. When the purple creature saw that his three yellow minions were killed, he charged in and tried to claw the Jedi. At that moment, the fully-healed Nanaki lunged in and struck the purple specimen with his claws. Cloud jumped in and slashed the monster's back. As the purple creature howled in pain, Barret charged up a large fiery projectile and launched it directly at the monster.

The purple specimen was pushed back. After wobbling around for a few seconds, it fell onto the ground, remaining motionless.

When it was made certain that the monster was dead, Tifa and Aerith emerged from their hiding spot and ran back to Cloud and his team. The blond swordsman turned to the flower girl and asked, "Aerith, are you all right?"

"She seems all right," Tifa answered for the flower girl, "in many ways."

"I have a right to choose, too," Nanaki murmured as he recovered from the fight. "I don't like two-legged _things_."

"What are you?" Barret asked as he turned to the red lion.

"An informed question, but difficult to answer," Nanaki replied cryptically. "I am what you see."

"I am just quite glad no one got hurt," Obi-Wan commented as he put his pistol back into the holster. "...Except that hideous creature."

At this, Aerith gave a bright smile and Nanaki nodded in agreement. The rest, however, wore grim expressions.

Noticing the dark expressions of the three, Obi-Wan inquired, "Is something wrong?"

Cloud began to slowly advance towards the Jedi. When they stood face to face, the blond suddenly launched a punch at the knight's face. The Jedi, however, blocked the punch with his palm and grabbed the ex-SOLDIER's fist.

"What...?" Nanaki blurted in surprise.

"Cloud! What do you think you're doing?!" Aerith exclaimed in shock.

"...You look better in a Shinra uniform," Cloud seethed through his gritted teeth as he tried to yank his fist out of the knight's grip.

"...I don't think you said that to make me feel happy," Obi-Wan mused out loud as he raised his eyebrow and gripped Cloud's fist. "Why are you so hostile towards me?"

"Do I have to answer?" the angry swordsman asked furiously. "You are nothing more than a traitorous Shinra scum!"  
>Instantly, Aerith rushed to Tifa and asked with confusion, "Tifa! Why is Cloud doing that?"<p>

"Cloud thinks that man is a Shinra spy," Tifa answered as she observed the fight.

"What?!" the flower girl gasped. "And you think so, too?!"

"...I..." Tifa murmured. "I don't know."

Nanaki turned to Barret and asked, "What about you? Do you agree with the swordsman's statement?"

Barret shook his head in confusion and said, "Honestly, I dunno. Cloud seems to have a point, but that strange guy did help us save Sector 7."

Oblivious to the discussion going on behind him, Cloud continued to rant as he freed his hand, "You were trying to capture AVALANCHE and Aerith from the very beginning. That's why you came to the bar! That's why you-!"

"Enough!" Obi-Wan interrupted. "I do not know what you are babbling about! I just came to Midgar several days ago!"

"How the hell do you expect us to believe that?" the swordsman inquired angrily.

"Truthfully, I do not expect _you_ to believe my explanation," the Jedi answered sternly. "Even now, you are not giving me the chance to explain."

Before the blond was able to verbally retaliate, Nanaki spoke calmly, "This man doesn't work for Shinra."  
>Cloud, Tifa, and Barret turned to the red lion with confusion. "How do you know?" Tifa asked.<p>

"He said so himself," Nanaki explained. "Also, he is the one who freed me from my cell... Well, _tried _to free me from my cell, until both of us were unceremoniously brought to this floor by the elevator."

"Hang on a sec'," Barret jumped in as he scratched his head. "If both of you were on the same elevator, then that means this beardo guy broke into your test tube. But that test tube's pretty hard to break into."

At this, Aerith mentally snapped her fingers and said, "I think I know how Obi broke into Nanaki's test tube." When the others turned to look at her, she mildly swung an imaginary lightsaber while making a "voom" noise.

Although Obi-Wan and Nanaki immediately understood what the flower girl was mimicking, the three AVALANCHE members did not. Barret and Tifa, however, were more confused about something else.

"'Obi'?" Barret asked.

"Are you saying that the real name of 'Ben' is 'Obi'?" Tifa questioned.

"That brings a good question," Cloud stated as he crossed his arms. "Why did you say your name is 'Ben' when your real name is 'Obi-Wan Kenobi'?"

"What kinda name is that?!" the gun man exclaimed.

"I never said my name was Ben," the Jedi answered. "At the time, two Turks were in the same room, so it was not safe to just spill out my name."

"...Oh," the blond swordsman murmured.

"I said it once and I will say it again," Obi-Wan sternly said. "I was not spying for Shinra. In fact, I was doing quite the opposite. And I suggest we move on, because we have been staying in this desolate room for quite a while now."

Barret gave the knight a suspicious glance.

Noticing the gun man's look, the Jedi stated, "I will explain more about myself later. We have to move for now."

"I agree," the bar hostess said as she nodded. "We can't waste any more time here. We gotta go." With that, she proceeded to the exit door that the fleeing scientists left unlocked. Cloud, Barret, and Nanaki quickly followed behind.

"So," Aerith began slowly as she walked up to Obi-Wan, "they still don't know where you came from?"

"Not yet," the Jedi answered. "I'll explain to them later. But for now, we must go."

Before the auburn-haired knight moved, however, the flower girl stopped him. "Wait," she said sternly. "Before you go, promise me one thing."

"Alright," Obi-Wan said with a nod.

"Never lie to me again."

Although the Jedi tried to retort by saying it was all for her safety, he only eventually sighed. "...I promise," he said.

"Awesome," Aerith said as she gave Obi-Wan two thumbs up.

Cloud simply cut in and announced, "Look, we can't waste any more time here. We gotta move on."

"The next door's locked," Barret said as he walked back to the group. "We can't move on without another key card." He then turned to the auburn-haired man and asked, "You do know why that door is shinin' red, do you?"

"Now, that is a very silly question," Obi-Wan replied with a chuckle. He then pulled out a master key card and continued, "This is all that is needed to unlock these doors... Although, _I_ don't really need them."

"Wait a minute," Tifa piped up as she looked at the card. "Where did you get that?"

"I stole it from a young patrol man," the undercover man revealed as he picked up his duffel bag. "I believe he is currently resting in the sewers."

As the knight revealed this, Tifa, Cloud, and Barret realized something.

"...Hang on," the blond murmured as he remembered the unconscious naked man in the sewers.

"It was YOU?" the fighter asked as her jaws dropped.

"Damn!" the gun man exclaimed. "You stole his clothes, too!"

Getting tired of watching time being wasted, Aerith yawned and asked, "Can't we just move on?"

"She's right," Nanaki said calmly. "We'll have plenty of time to talk once we get out of this place."

Nodding in agreement, Obi-Wan walked to the locked metal door and placed his card on the key pad. After scanning the key, the door turned green and opened.

The group walked through the door and began to walk down the hallway. Unbeknownst to them, however, two mysterious people entered the lab and began to silently stalk them.

Seconds later, Obi-Wan suddenly sensed through the Force that two unknown figures were following them. He seriously doubted that they were going to be friendly or cooperative.

_I don't thing there will be any escape routes beyond this hallway, as well_, the knight thought grimly as he continued to walk.

The two people were slowly coming closer, and Obi-Wan needed to decide quickly on what action to take. He decided against turning around and fighting them; it would cause even more trouble. The Jedi thought about using his lightsaber to _make_ a new escape route.

_Actually, using a lightsaber in the belly of the beast does NOT sound like a smart plan_, Obi-Wan thought as he mentally gave himself a slap in the face.

After quickly thinking of the situation they were currently in, the undercover knight adjusted his cap so that it covered his eyes.

_I'll save myself first and then save the others later_, the Jedi decided as he slowed down his pace. It sounded like a selfish plan, but it was the best and safest plan at the moment.

When he was near the rest of his team, he continued to look forward and said quietly (but loud enough for the rest of the team to hear), "Walk casually. Do not look back. Two people are following us"

Although slightly shocked by the sudden warning, the team continued to walk.

Aerith was greatly frightened, but she kept her composure and asked in a whisper, "Who's following us?"

"I have no idea," Obi-Wan replied quietly. "I am certain they are not friendly, though."

"We can fight them," Cloud said in a low tone. "Also, there are six of us and two of them."

"Fighting them will only get us into more trouble," the Jedi explained. "It will alert everyone here, and we'll have to find a way to fight through the rest of the guards as we descend from the top of the building." After shaking his head, he concluded, "Just think how that will end."

"We could take a safer option and sneak away," Tifa suggested very quietly.

"As I said before, we are nearly at the top of this building," Obi-Wan replied. "I doubt there will be many escape routes here, if not _any_."

"Then, _what_ the hell should we do?" Barret asked in a whisper.

"Are we stuck with no options at all?" Nanaki questioned.

"...I'll act as your hostage," the knight began to explain his plan.

"...Eh?" Barret mumbled.

"You people captured me and are making me unlock the doors."

"What in the world are you talking about?" Aerith asked as her eyes widened.

"Hang on," Tifa shushed the flower girl, trying to hear the rest of the plan.

"At this rate, we'll all be captured," Obi-Wan continued as he and the rest of the team walked. "So, one of us will have to not get captured so that he or she can save the rest later. All of you are known as enemies of Shinra, but I'm currently a patrol man of Shinra."

"So, you want to get 'rescued' by Shinra so that you can save us later. Is that correct?" Cloud asked for verification.

"Precisely," the undercover man said quietly.

The blond remained silent.

"...Are you still doubting Obi-Wan?" Nanaki quietly asked the swordsman.

"I know he is suspicious," Tifa reasoned, "but we'll have to trust him for this one."

After a short silence, Cloud asked, "Will it work?"

"It doesn't hurt to take a shot," the Jedi said as the group finally reached the end of the hallway. At the end was another elevator.

After feeling the presence of the two people behind them, Obi-Wan whispered, "They're close now. I promise, I will come back."

Before any of them could respond, the undercover man dropped to his knees and pled to Cloud, "Sir, please spare my life! Please!"

Slightly taken aback by the sudden initiation of the role play, the blond shouted back, "Get back up, you dog!"

"...Wait, what the...? I thought I'm the leader!" Barret shouted. He genuinely meant this.

"Do as he is told!" Tifa threatened angrily. "If we get caught, we'll end your life."

Nanaki growled at the Jedi. Aerith made the meanest face she could muster up.

_It's a good thing Aerith is facing away from the two_, Obi-Wan thought as he kept himself from laughing at Aerith's mean face, _or else her attempt at making a 'mean' face would have revealed our little scheme_.

As the auburn-haired man expected, two people came from behind. "Halt," one of them said in a deep voice.

"Step away from the hostage," the other said in a smooth voice.

Everyone slowly turned around to see who their captives were. To Obi-Wan's surprise, one of them was Tseng. The other was a tall, masculine bald man wearing sunglasses.

_This is very odd_, the knight thought in confusion as he looked at Tseng. _I thought he was captured._

"Rude," Tseng began calmly, "take the hostage away from these terrorists."

The bald man nodded and walked to Obi-Wan. He held out his hand to the knight.

_...Well, at least the plan is working_, the undercover man noted as he grabbed Rude's hand. As soon as he was pulled up, Obi-Wan quickly grabbed his duffel bag and stood behind the two Shinra employees.

The Jedi noticed that Cloud was giving the this-better-be-worth-it look to him. So, the knight gave a reassuring smile to the blond and his team.

"...It must be a real joy for you," Barret growled at Tseng.

"It must have been a real thrill for you," the Turk smoothly replied. "Did you enjoy it?"

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** Howdy, everyone. GreatDario here.

I'm not the kind of guy who usually leaves author's notes, but since I've been gone for a long time, I think this chapter deserves one.

Sorry for leaving this story untouched for so long. I've been very busy with life stuff.

More explanation will be in my profile. Also, for those of you who're usually checking out this story, I recommend following my profile. I'm getting into a habit of leaving update logs, so you'll know what's going on with this story and when it will come out.

To be honest, though, I don't like leaving author's notes in my story. So, this message will be removed once the next chapter comes up. Just a heads up.

That's it for now, and have a nice day.


	9. Escape from the City

"_**The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing."**_

**FORGE THE PATH**

**Chapter IX : Escape from the City**

For Obi-Wan, it was dreadfully baffling to see Tseng standing in the Shinra Building as if nothing happened to him. He was certain that the Turk was captured by the AVALANCHE.

..._Which brings up another question_, the undercover knight speculated as he saw Rude binding handcuffs on Cloud and his friends' wrists. _How did Aerith get captured? Also, just how did the interrogation go?_

Not much time passed when three Shinra guards in blue armor entered the hallway. The three walked to the Turks and inquired, "What are your orders, sir?"

"Take this one to the cell," Tseng commanded as he pushed Aerith to the guards. The flower girl glared at the man, but remained silent. "Also, escort this one to the questioning room," he continued as he pointed at the standing Jedi.

"Yes, sir," the three said monotonously as one of the began to walk away from the elevator.

"Follow him, scum," one of the two guards said to Aerith.

"I think I already know that," the Cetra sarcastically replied as she began to walk behind the lead. The rude guard began to follow behind the flower girl.

"C'mon, new guy," the remaining guard lightly told Obi-Wan. "You had a really rough day."

"Thank you, sir," the undercover man said with a sigh of relief. "But, how did you know I'm a new guy?"

"By your uniform, duh," the guard replied with a shrug.

"Oh," the knight murmured as he began to follow the second guard. The last guard soon followed the Jedi.

The group walked back to the lab room. As the two guards led the way while taking Aerith, the last guard halted as he motioned Obi-Wan to stop. Soon, the three entered the elevator. Although the flower girl tried to glance at the Jedi's face, the undercover man's face was difficult to read for her due to the knight's cap covering his eyes. He did, however, give her a reassuring smile before the elevator began to descend.

"Where are they taking her?" Obi-Wan inquired as he turned to the guard.

"To the cell on the sixty-seventh floor," the guard answered as he stretched his arms. "It's just below us." He then turned to the Jedi and asked, "By the way, what did those guys make you do?"

"Huh?" the knight mumbled.

"I know you're gonna be answering these kind of questions later, but I wanna know," the curious guard explained. "What did those villains make you do?"

"Well," Obi-Wan began, "they made me open doors for them while threatening me."

"Ouch," the blue guard said with concern. "You were a perfect target, too. You are a new guy with the new master key card Shinra just made."

"'New' master key card?" the Jedi repeated. "You mean this whole key card system is new?"

"What, they didn't tell you?" the guard asked with a raised eyebrow. "Before the master key cards were released, we used key cards for separate floors. That means we had to carry cards for each floors above the fiftieth."

"That... is quite redundant," the undercover knight mused with a nod.

"Tell me about it," the guard said with a sigh. "Eventually, Shinra actually realized that carrying a billion cards just to go around the building was a bad idea. So, they released the all-new master key card. They just started giving them to the newbies here."

"Oh, that's why they gave me this," Obi-Wan said as he snapped his fingers, "while you people are still carrying all those key cards."

The guard nodded as he looked at his watch. Afterwards, he turned back to the Jedi and said, "Looks like it's time for us to go."

"Where are we going?" the Jedi asked as he picked up his duffel bag.

"To the questioning room," the blue guard replied as he walked to the elevator. "It's located in the forty-seventh floor." At that moment, the elevator arrived. "Oh, it's here. C'mon, let's go."

With that, Obi-Wan followed the guard into the elevator. The elevator descended and reached the sixty-seventh floor. As the two walked through science department, the guard pointed at a hallway connected to the main hall of the floor.

"That is where that girl was dragged to," he explained as he continued to walk. "The prison cell's in there. She and probably the rest of her friends are going to be there for the time being."

"I see," the undercover knight mumbled as he followed the man. _I needed to know that._

The two walked to the stairway at the end of the hallway. They walked down, went past the office rooms, and entered the main elevator. After the guard pressed the 'forty-seven' button, the two men awkwardly stood still as the elevator descended.

As soon as the elevator doors opened at the forty-seventh floor, the two exited and walked into a wide, straight hallway that had many doors on both sides. The whole hallway was well lit. The floor and the ceiling were white and the walls and the doors were dark navy blue.

"You will be questioned in room 1138," the guard said as he looked at a piece paper. He jammed it back into his pocked and walked to the right-side door closest to the elevator. "C'mon in," he said as he opened the door.

As Obi-Wan and the guard entered, they were in a small, bright room. The floor and the ceiling were white and the walls were gray. A square metal desk with two chairs situated across each other were in the middle of the room.

"Eh, don't worry too much," the blue guard stated as he looked at the room. "Usually, getting questioned in a room close to the elevators means you won't be in a heated interrogation session."

"Interesting," the Jedi mused.

"By the way," the guard began as he looked at the black duffel bag the knight was carrying, "I'm gonna have to take that bag for investigation purposes."

"What?" the knight asked as he turned to the guard.

"It's nothing much. I'll give it back to you as soon as I can."

_I don't think so_, Obi-Wan thought as he tapped into the Force. He then said to the man, "You do not need to investigate my bag."

"...I do not need to investigate your bag," the guard repeated, falling to the Jedi's mind trick.

"It is simply a bag full of clothes."

"...It is simply a bag full of clothes."

The undercover knight continued his mind trick and said, "You will take my bag and put it in locker 327."

"I will take your bag and put it in locker 327."

"You may go."

"I will go."

With that, the guard took Obi-Wan's duffel bag and left the room. The undercover knight looked around for any security cameras. When he found two attached to the ceiling, the knight tapped his mind into the Force and slightly waved his hand at the cameras. As if obeying their master, the cameras shut down, leaving the man unwatched.

Unable to think of anything else to do, the Jedi sat on the chair closer to the door. He began to plan out his next move.

_After this interrogation, I will head to the sixty-seventh floor and rescue the others_, he planned as he stared into nothingness. _Before that, though, I'll need to find a way to create a diversion._

The knight closed his eyes and trailed on, _I'll need to pick up my belongings before I leave this building. _He then frowned, a deep furrow forming in his brow. _And exactly _what_ in the name of the Force is the source of the dark presence here? I could still feel it, but I can't pinpoint the exact location._

Several seconds later, someone entered the questioning room, interrupting the Jedi's train of thoughts. Obi-Wan turned to see who came in.

The interrogator was a young blonde woman with short hair and brown eyes. She was wearing a navy blue suit which looked much like the uniform worn by the Turks. The interrogator was also carrying a large folder and a laptop computer with her.

_Could she be another Turk?_ the undercover knight wondered as he watched the woman slowly walking to her chair, her eyes remaining wide open. _In that case, I must be cautious._

After the woman sat and placed her items on the table, she began, "Hello."

"Hello, ma'am," Obi-Wan responded.

The woman quietly cleared her throat and began, "My name is Elena, the newest member of the Turks."

"I see," the Jedi replied with a nod.

The two remained silent.

"Um," the undercover man mumbled, "aren't you supposed to ask for my name?"

"Huh?" Elena murmured. "Oh! Yes, hang on." With that, she opened her laptop. "What is your name?"

"Theodore Duffman," Obi-Wan lied as he remembered the name of his victim.

"Hang on," the Turk said as she typed in the name into her computer. "Ah, here it is," she later said. Elena began to study something in her computer and then turned to the Jedi to observe his face. Frowning, she looked at the computer screen and turned to the man once more. After a few moments, Elena said, "You don't look like the person in the records."

"Oh, you mean my look?" the knight asked as he pointed at his own face. "You see, I recently had a plastic surgery, so I look completely different now." After stating his false reason, he thought to himself, _I'm treading on thin ice. I wonder if she will fall for this one._

"...Oh," the Turk mumbled with a nod. "Plastic surgery. That explains a lot."

_...Interesting_, Obi-Wan thought. _She actually fell for it_.

"Returning back to the topic," Elena began once more as she looked through several documents in her folder, "it has been reported that you have been held hostage by a terrorist group known as AVALANCHE. Is this true?"

"Yes," the knight said, acting nervous at the mention of AVALANCHE. "It was absolutely terrifying."

"...Is that so?" the Turk asked as her eyes widened in excitement, dropping her serious tone. "How did it go? What did they do to you? Did they-"

"Whoa, slow down, ma'am," the undercover man interjected as he raised his hands.

"Sorry about that," the blond continued to ramble on. "It's just that, it's my first time ever doing this."

"I understand, ma'am," Obi-Wan calmly said. "I'm pretty new here, as well."

"Really? That's great! I mean, it's not great that you got captured but-"

"Ma'am," the Jedi interrupted.

"Oh," Elena mumbled before she cleared her throat, "sorry about that."

"It's quite alright."

"Anyway, going back to the topic... Hang on, where were we again?"

_This is going to be a _long_ interrogation_, Obi-Wan sighed as he shook his head.

* * *

><p>"Where is Aerith?" Cloud angrily snarled at President Shinra.<p>

"In a safe place," the President calmly replied as he stood up from his desk.

Cloud, Tifa, and Barret had their hands bound by cuffs. Nanaki was not, but was still closely watched by Tseng and Rude who were next to the four. They were currently in the President's office, which was located at the top of the building.

"She is the last of the Ancients," President Shinra began as he walked to the tall windows behind him. He turned back to his captives and continued, "Do you not know? They call themselves the 'Cetra', and lived thousands of years ago. Now, they are just a forgotten page in history."

"Cetra..." Nanaki said to himself. "That girl is a Cetra?"

"The Cetra will show us the path to the Promised Land," the President revealed as he walked to the AVALANCHE team. "We believe that she shows great promise."

"The 'Promised Land'?" the red lion almost snorted. "Isn't that just a legend?"

"The opportunity is too appealing," explained Shinra. "Only a fool would not pursue it."

"Yeah, but what if it's fake?" Barret interjected.

The President ignored the comment and continued, "It's been said that the Promised Land is very fertile." He made a dramatic pause and said, "And if the land is fertile..."

"Then there's gotta be Mako!" the gun man exclaimed.

"Precisely," President Shinra replied with a nod. "That is why our money-sucking Mako Reactor is a necessity. The abundant Mako will come out on its own." The President closed his eyes and said, "That is where Neo-Midgar will be built... Shinra's new glory."

"To hell with that!" Barret fumed as he fruitlessly attempted to break his cuffs. "Quit dreamin'!"

President Shinra simply laughed. "Did you know," he began to ask, "that these days, all that is required to make your dreams come true is money and science?" After collecting himself, Shinra cleared his throat and said, "That concludes our little meeting."

A moment later, Rude turned to the four and said gruffly, "Follow me."

As Cloud, Tifa, and Nanaki began to follow the Turk, Barret stayed put and shouted, "Hold it! I got a lot of things to say to you!"

Before the gun man was able to do or say much, however, Rude quickly pulled him away from the scene.

As the President observed the AVALANCHE leader being pulled away, he calmly said, "If you need something else, talk to my secretary."

* * *

><p>The four were brought to the prison cells on the sixty-seventh floor. Aerith was alone in the cell on the left. Cloud and Tifa were in the cell in the middle. Barret and Nanaki were in the cell in the right.<p>

_That Obi-Wan better be here soon_, the blond swordsman thought as he stared at a wall. The wall was just plain gray, but the mercenary was doing exceptionally well at staring at the empty wall.

"Pst! Cloud!" Tifa whispered as she sat up from her cot. "Can we get out?"

"Don't worry. Leave it to me," Cloud whispered back as he turned to his friend. "We'll be out in no time."

"Awesome!" the fighter gleefully whispered. "You're so brave, Cloud!"

"Thanks," the swordsman answered sheepishly as he scratched his head. "You should rest up for now. You'll need it."

"Alright," Tifa whispered as she lay back on the cot. "You should rest up, too."

After giving her a nod, Cloud crossed his arms. _Even if Obi-Wan gets here, we still don't know what we're going to do afterwards_, he thought. _He better be coming up with a good escape plan, because if he doesn't, we probably won't be seeing daylight ever again._

"Cloud!" someone whispered from the other side of the wall. "Are you there?"

"Aerith?" Cloud looked up when he heard the voice. "Aerith, are you safe?"

"Yeah, I'm alright," Aerith whispered back from her cell. "I knew that you would come for me."

"Hey, I'm your bodyguard," the blond replied with assurance.

"The deal was for one date, right?"

Hearing this comment, Tifa instantly sat up. "Oh..." she mumbled as she looked at the ground. "I get it."

"Tifa?!" Aerith nearly exclaimed (whether it was due to unpleasant shock or happiness was not known). "Tifa! You're there, too!"

"EXCUSE me," the bar hostess grumbled.

_Well, that was awkward_, Cloud thought with a shake of his head.

After a long awkward pause, Tifa began, "You know, Aerith, I have a question."

"What is it?" Aerith asked as she gained her composure.

"Does the Promised Land really exist?"

"...I don't know," the Cetra answered. "All I know is... the Cetra were born from the Planet, speak with the Planet, and unlock the Planet." There was a short pause. "...And then, the Cetra will return to the Promised Land, a land that promises supreme happiness."

"...What does that mean?" the fighter asked, confused by Aerith's words.

"More than words, I don't know," the flower girl admitted.

The story sounded interesting to Cloud, but one detail caught his attention. "'Speak with the Planet'?" he asked.

"Just what does the Planet say?" Tifa inquired as she sat on the cot.

"It's full of people and-" Before Aerith tried to say 'It's full of people and noisy', she remembered the time when she said that to Obi-Wan; he laughed at the grammar of the sentence.

"_Do you realize how grammatically incorrect that is?_" she remembered Obi-Wan laughing.

_Yeah, that's right_, Aerith thought. _Now that I think about it, "noisy" isn't a noun._

"Aerith?" Tifa whispered when the flower girl became silent.

"...It's full of noisy people," the Cetra corrected herself, trying not to look silly once more. "I can't make out what they are saying."

After a beat of silence, Cloud asked, "Do you hear the voices now?"

"I... only heard it at the church," Aerith replied as she closed her eyes. "Mother said that Midgar was no longer safe... My real mother, that is."

The flower girl sat on her cot and said, "Someday, I will get out of Midgar, speak with the Planet, and find my Promised Land. That's what my mom said." She looked down at the ground. "I thought I would stop hearing her voice as I grew up, but..." The Cetra became silent, no longer in the mood to talk.

The blond, realizing this, stopped asking Aerith. At that moment, Barret, who was sitting in the other cell, piped up.

"Hey!" the gun man whispered (which was not that quiet). "Aerith is an Ancient and the real name of the Ancients is Cetra." He then began to summarize what he learned. "The Ancients know where the Promised Land is and the Shinra are searchin' for that place. I only heard stories 'bout that land and I don't know if it exists. But the Shinra seem to believe in it and that the Promised Land is full of Mako energy. Which means, if the Shinra get there, they'll suck up all the Mako, and the land will wither away. The planet's gonna get weaker."

He abruptly stood up and said with determination, "I can't leave 'em be. I'm recruitin' new members! Me, Tifa, Cloud, and Aerith, too!" Barret then turned to Nanaki and asked, "What about you?"

Nanaki, who was lying on the ground, looked up at the excited gun man. The red lion stood up, stretched, and lay back down again.

"...You're so damn borin'," the gun man grumbled.

"You can try hiring that strange man, Obi-Wan," Nanaki mumbled.

"...Eh?" Barret turned to the beast next to him.

"You know, the man who was disguised as a security guard?"

Cloud, who was listening to what was going on, said, "We are not sure if he's on our side. In fact, the clothes he was wearing might have been his."

"I don't know why you people are doubting him so much," Nanaki stated as he looked up at Barret. "Obi-Wan doesn't work here. He's here to deal with something here."

Tifa, who was also listening, joined the conversation. "What is the 'something' you are talking about?"

"I don't know," the red lion admitted. "But while I was locked up in the laboratory, I felt a subtle but clearly dangerous presence. It is highly likely that Obi-Wan was after the source of that presence.

"He also made a deal with me," the beast continued. "In return for helping me escape, I'll let grandpa help him out."

"'Grandpa?'" Barret nearly burst out. "'Grandpa?' Ha ha ha ha!"

"What's so funny?" Nanaki glared at the gun man.

"Nothin'. Nothin'," the AVALANCHE leader said as he calmed down. "Heh heh. 'Grandpa'."

* * *

><p>Obi-Wan was still being questioned by Elena. Except, due to making so many mistakes, the Turk unintentionally prolonged the interrogation.<p>

"...Alright," Elena mumbled to herself as she rummaged through her folder. "...Okay, now, where is that stupid paper?"

_My goodness_, the Jedi nearly grumbled. _She's been making the same mistake over and over again._

"Ah! Here it is," the blonde turk said as she took out a document. "Anyway, how did- Oh wait, hang on. This isn't the right one."

The undercover knight gave a reassuring smile, but groaned inside.

"I'm sorry we're not making any progress," Elena said apologetically while still rummaging through the folder. "I'm very new to this and we currently don't have enough Turks."

"Oh," Obi-Wan mused. "Is that the reason why you, an inexperienced Turk, are running this interrogation?"

"That's right," the blonde replied with a nod. "In fact, the reason why I became a Turk so easily was because of Reno. He got seriously injured during his last mission."

"Is that so?" the Jedi asked with his eyebrows raised. "How did he get hurt?"

"Many say that he was injured by the notorious AVALANCHE. But from what I heard, he got pushed down the stairs by some woman in pink in this building."

Obi-Wan was already able to picture the scene where the struggling Aerith pushes the unsuspecting Reno down the stairs.

"Oh wait!" Elena suddenly gasped and covered her mouth. "I shouldn't have said that!"

"Do not worry too much," the Jedi assured. "I will keep it a secret."

"Oh, thank you," the Turk said with a sigh of relief. "Because, you see, I'm not supposed to-"

The knight, who was ignoring the woman in front of him, began to think. _If this Turk continues to waste time like this_, he thought, _I'm gonna have to perform a mind trick on her_.

But while he was hoping that it would not come to that situation, Obi-Wan suddenly felt a disturbance in the Force. It was a great disturbance; it was as if a giant wave swept over the Jedi. Alarmed by it, the knight tapped his mind into the Force, and he began to hear screams.

_The upper part of the building is under attack by something_, Obi-Wan thought quickly. _Whatever it is, it's swift and incredibly dangerous. Seeing how the alarms aren't set off, the security guards may have been killed before they were able to take an action._

"-and that is how I ended up here," Elena finished, not knowing that chaos was set loose several floors above them.

_I need to get to Cloud before it is too late_, the Jedi decided. "Ma'am," he began.

"What is it?" the Turk asked.

"Something is wrong," Obi-Wan stated, pretending to be nervous. "I think something's going on here. Something bad."

"Eh?" Elena blurted, caught off guard by the sudden change of mood. "Don't be so silly. We would've been notified if it was."

"It's just that I have a very bad feeling about this," the Jedi explained as he looked at the ceiling.

"Here, let me call security," the Turk said as she pulled out a black cellphone from her pocket. She clicked several buttons and waited for a response. When she got none, the blonde frowned as said, "Just a moment, Mr. Duffman." She tried to contact security once more; the results were the same.

"Strange," Elena mumbled as she stood up. "Sorry, Mr. Duffman, but I'll have to visit the security office. Can you stay here for a while."

"Yes, I can," Obi-Wan answered with a nod. _I _can_ stay, but I will not. Also, you will not be pleased by the new 'scenery' in the security office._

Elena quickly left the room as she tried to call someone. When she went into the elevator and left the floor, the Jedi quickly stood up. Satisfied with the fact that the monitor cam in the room was not recording anything, he left the room. He pressed the 'up' button and waited for the elevator.

As soon as the elevator arrived, the knight entered it and pressed the 'sixty-four' button. As the elevator ascended, he was already able to smell the blood of the people who were killed by this mysterious being.

When the elevator arrived at the sixty-fourth floor, Obi-Wan was greeted by a hallway covered in the blood of the victims. Many corpses were lying on the ground, their faces still showing the expressions before they were killed.

The undercover knight quickly ran to the locker room. He rushed to locker 327 and swung the locker door open. In the locker was a black duffel bag. The Jedi pulled it out and opened the bag. Much to his relief, his robes and his lightsaber were still in the black bag.

Obi-Wan pulled out the lightsaber and closed the bag. He held his weapon with his right hand and carried the bag with his left. The Jedi ran back to the elevator and waved his hand at the elevator door. It quickly opened as if it was obeying the knight's commands.

The auburn-haired man entered the elevator and swiftly waved his hand across the button panel. Immediately, all floors were available.

_I was forgetting how comfortable it was to use the Force_, the Jedi mused as he pressed the sixty-sixth floor.

The elevator soon arrived at the sixty-sixth floor. Obi-Wan saw that this floor was also marauded by the mysterious being. Corpses were lying everywhere.

_It seems like they were killed with a sword_, the knight noted as he inspected some of the corpses. _They all have blade wounds._

Obi-Wan quickly ran up the stairs and reached the sixty-seventh floor, the lab floor. Blood and dead bodies were everywhere. _This is the floor where the rest are locked up in!_ he realized in alarm as he ran through the hallway. The knight stood still and searched for signs of life through the Force. Fortunately, he found that the rest were untouched.

_Thank goodness_, Obi-Wan thought with a sigh of relief. _It appears that they are just sleeping._ He tried to walk to the prison cells and free them. But he was suddenly able to detect the source of the dark presence.

_The killer is with someone_, the knight realized. _This person must be at the top of the building. _He looked at the prison cells at the other side of the hallway. _For now, it is safe for them to stay in their cells._ With that, he turned away and began to head to the laboratory.

While he was on his way, Obi-Wan stopped by the large dome-shaped container that glowed purple. When he looked into it, he found that it was empty. _I'm sure I saw something in here before_, he thought with certainty.

The knight then heard a scream from above. He quickly ran to the elevator and ascended to the upper laboratory. The Jedi rushed through the large room, passed the next hallway, and went to the elevator.

After the elevator arrived, he ran into a fancy foyer room. Obi-Wan found two stairways that went up, so he quickly ran up the right stairway. When he finally reached the President's office, the Jedi froze as he heard a shriek.

The President was just slain by a tall man in a black trench coat with long silver hair. The silver sword the man impaled with was enormously long. President Shinra was able to see Obi-Wan at the other side of the room before he died on his desk.

"So," Obi-Wan finally began as he dropped his duffel bag, "you are the villain who has been lurking around this structure."

Hearing the knight's voice, the mysterious man pulled out the sword from Shinra's back and looked at the man before him. Smirking at the undercover man, he calmly said, "It seems like another fool has come to have his death wish fulfilled."

"I do not wish to die," Obi-Wan simply said as he continued to hold the lightsaber with his right hand. "In fact, I came to stop you."

There was a moment of silence in the room. Several moments later, the mysterious man began to laugh. It was a cold, menacing laughter that would send chills down anyone's spine. Obi-Wan was not affected, however; he dealt with many villains with cold laughters in the past.

"What's so funny?" inquired the Jedi as he adjusted his cap.

"You did see what I did to those people, correct?" the swordsman asked.

"Yes, you left an awfully bloody mess. I am aware of that."

"This is rather amusing," the mysterious man said. "Tell me. What do you plan to do with me?"

"First, I'm going to ask you to drop your weapon," Obi-Wan explained. "Second, I'm going to question you."

"And, what if I resist?" the man asked.

"Then, I'm going to disarm you," the Jedi explained, "even if it means cutting off your hands."

"Try me," the tall man taunted before he leaped to the knight.

Obi-Wan quickly rolled to his right to dodge the jump attack. The tall man's sword missed his target as it hit the floor.

"Fascinating," the mysterious man commented.

"I wouldn't underestimate your foe if I were you," the Jedi said as he readied his lightsaber.

"I believe you ought to know the name of your killer before you die," the tall man said as he glared at the knight. "I am Sephiroth, the last of the Cetra!"

_He is a Cetra? I thought Aerith was the last of the Cetra_, the undercover knight mused as he stared back at Sephiroth.

The killer swiftly charged towards the knight as he lunged his sword forward. Obi-Wan channeled the Force through his body and jumped over the 'Cetra', barely avoiding the sharp tip of the sword.

Surprised that his foe just jumped over him, Sephiroth quickly swung his sword backwards to horizontally cut the Jedi. The knight, however, simply rolled away from the attack.

"Hmm... You are more cunning than I thought," the mysterious killer admitted with a frown. He then readied his longsword and said, "But, I have no time for games. It's time to end this."

"I was actually thinking the same thing," Obi-Wan said as he ignited his lightsaber.

The tall swordsman stared at the blue lightsaber the Jedi was holding. In shock, his eyes widened and he mumbled something.

_Surprised, are you? _the Jedi thought. The knight, however, did not let his guard down as he observed the tall man's longsword. _I sense something powerful flowing through that blade. My lightsaber may not be strong enough to cut it._

As soon as he got out of his shock, Sephiroth rushed forward as he prepared to cut the knight into pieces. Obi-Wan put up a defensive stance before parrying the slash attack. The two blades met contact, but the longsword did not show any signs of damage.

_As I suspected_, the Jedi mused as he blocked the killer's next slash attack.

Sephiroth immediately connected his attack to a powerful down slash, but Obi-Wan successfully defended himself with his blade. Then, unexpectedly, the tall swordsman kicked the knight in the chest. The Jedi felt a sharp pain running through his body, but he instantly recovered using the Force. Not even a second of break was being given to the two fighters.

Obi-Wan stepped backwards as Sephiroth once again rushed forward to vertically cut the knight in half. The Jedi was able to quickly step back; the longsword only cut the knight's cap. As the cap fell off, Obi-Wan continued to stay defensive as he swiftly dodged and parried Sephiroth's unnaturally fast slice-and-dice movements. Any normal contestant would have been shred to pieces, but the Jedi was not an ordinary contestant.

As the battle heated up, Obi-Wan was able to see that Sephiroth was becoming accustomed to his defensive attacks. _If I go offensive now, he'll be caught by surprise_, the Jedi thought with certainty. Before the killer was able to thrust his sword forward, Obi-Wan intently channeled the Force through his body and swung his lightsaber to completely deflect Sephiroth's longsword away.

Completely caught by surprise, the tall man jumped back as he avoided Obi-Wan's slash, which would have been a finishing blow had he not jumped away. The knight was not finished, however. Sephiroth was dazed. If the Jedi gave him time, the tall swordsman would have recovered in less than half a second.

Obi-Wan rushed forward as he tried to dismember Sephiroth's arms. The tall swordsman was forced to take the defensive stance as he dodged and parried the Jedi's swift strikes.

When Sephiroth attempted to counter Obi-Wan's horizontal slash, the experienced Jedi was able to cancel his move and immediately block the tall swordsman's strike. Their blades locked as they stared into each other's eyes. The knight was able to see anger and hatred in the killer's cold green eyes. When Sephiroth put more strength into his sword, the Jedi caught him by surprise by shooting his open left hand at the swordsman's face. The palm did not meet contact with the face, but Sephiroth was sent flying to the other side of the room. The swordsman landed on his back near the tall windows behind the desk.

Sephiroth immediately stood up as he prepared to charge into Obi-Wan once more, but then he began hear something.

_Footsteps_, Obi-Wan realized, hearing the same thing.

Instantly, Sephiroth turned back and slashed the windows, breaking them instantly. At that moment, however, several people ran up the stairs and into the office. Without glancing back, the tall swordsman jumped out of the building and disappeared into the dark night sky.

"Hey, who was that?!" Tifa shouted as she saw someone jump off the building.

"Hey!" Barret exclaimed as he saw Obi-Wan standing in the middle of the room, staring at the windows. "You were here- Holy shit! What the hell is that thing?!

Obi-Wan, recognizing the voice, turned to Barret and the rest staring wide-eye at the glowing weapon in his hand (except Aerith and Nanaki, who were looking at the lightsaber, but not as shocked as the rest).

"This is my weapon, a lightsaber," the Jedi explained as he lifted his blue lightsaber. "I was trying my best not to use it, but I got myself into a situation where I had to."

"Wait," Aerith began as she looked at the lightsaber, "if you had to use that lightsaber, then that means you had to fight someone!"

"Is that true?" Nanaki asked.

"Yes," Obi-Wan answered. "And, I won. My foe fled by jumping out of the window."

"Wait, wait," Barret interjected. "So, that guy who just jumped out was the enemy. So, that guy's the main reason why the whole place became a bloody mess?"

"I don't see any other reason," the knight replied with a nod. "He also killed the President; I wasn't able to save him in time." The Jedi turned to see Cloud, but he was surprised to see that the mercenary was still staring at his lightsaber with an unreadable expression. The knight deactivated his weapon, snapping the blonde back to reality.

"Hang on, the President's dead?!" Tifa shouted as she turned to see the corpse of the once proud leader of the biggest corporation of Gaia.

"...Ouch, he's bleeding all over," Aerith murmured quietly.

"...That's not just 'ouch'," Barret commented as he walked to the dead corpse of President Shinra. "Eh, serves the fool right. He had it coming, if you ask me."

"Hang on!" the flower girl piped up as she realized something. "The person who killed all those people downstairs was Sephiroth."

"Yes, that's correct," Obi-Wan verified.

"And you _defeated_ Sephiroth?" Aerith asked as her eyes widened.

"Yes, I did," the knight answered. "Although, he did retreat before I was able to catch him."

"What the hell?!" Barret exclaimed as he heard this. "How strong are you?"

"To take down a man who slaughtered all those people with no difficulty," Tifa murmured. "Just where did you learn how to fight like that?"

"It is quite obvious you are no ordinary man," Nanaki said with a nod.

Cloud remained silent. He simply stared at the dead body of the President.

"Obi's not any ordinary man!" Aerith said cheerfully. "He's a Jedi-"

"Ben- I mean, Obi-Wan," Barret began as he ignored the flower girl, "do you wish to fight for the Planet? If you do, you must join us, the AVALANCHE."

"We have no time to stay here," Cloud finally said as he interrupted the gun man. "We got company." The mercenary pointed out the broken window at an incoming helicopter.

"Oh shit! Rufus!" Barret angrily fumed as he looked at the helicopter. "I completely forgot about him!"

"Rufus?" Tifa asked as she turned to the gun man. "Who's that?"

"Vice President Rufus," Barret explained. "The President's son."

"I wonder what kind of person he is..." the bar hostess wondered as she tapped her chin.

Aerith simply shook her head and said, "I heard that no one's ever seen him bleed or cry."

Barret nodded in agreement and stated, "I heard that he's been assigned somewhere else for a long time."

"I only heard of his name," Nanaki said.

"Well, you know what they say," Obi-Wan commented as he looked at the rest. "Like father, like son."

"...Yeah, that's kinda true," Tifa agreed as she scratched her head.

"Also," the Jedi continued, "there is someone hiding behind that pillar next to the desk.

As soon as he said that, everyone heard someone squeak behind the pillar.

Instantly, a fat, bald man came out running, trying to break for the stairs. He failed to do so as he was simply caught by Cloud and Barret.

"Palmer!" the gun man exclaimed.

"P-p-p-please, don't kill me!" Palmer stuttered, frightened out of his wits.

"What happened?" Cloud asked.

"It was Sephiroth!" the fat man shouted at the top of his lungs. "But that crazy guard actually fought him off! I don't know who to be scared of: Sephiroth, or the guy who actually fought him off!"

"You're not lying, right?" the mercenary asked just to be certain.

"Why would I lie to you at a time like this?!" Palmer nearly fumed. "Also, Sephiroth was saying something before super guard here jumped in to kick him out. He said something about not letting us have the Promised Land."

"Then what?" Tifa jumped into the conversation. "Does that mean that the Promised Land really exists and that Sephiroth is here to save it from Shinra?"

"So, he's a good guy then?" Barret suggested.

"...I don't know about you," Obi-Wan began to point out, "but I doubt a person who came here unnoticed and mercilessly slaughtered all those people would be a 'good guy'."

"He's right," Cloud agreed as he looked at the still body of Shinra. "Sephiroth isn't trying to save the Promised Land. I know that for a fact."

A moment later, Palmer was able to free himself and run through a doorway that led to the balcony.

"Uh oh, Palmer got out," Tifa said when she looked at the fat man darting out of the room.

"I wouldn't worry too much about that guy," the mercenary pointed out as he began to walk to the broken windows, which led directly to where the helicopter was landing. "And heads up. We got company outside."

* * *

><p>The helicopter was landed on the balcony. There, a tall, blond young man in a white coat was talking to the incredibly frightened Palmer.<p>

"So, Sephiroth was actually here..." Vice President, Rufus, noted calmly. He then turned to the broken windows behind Palmer to see several people walking out of the President's office. "By the way," the young man began as he looked at the six people who now stood in front of him, "who are you guys?"

"I'm Cloud, former SOLDIER First Class," Cloud introduced himself.

"I'm from AVALANCHE!" Barret shouted with pride and anger as he pumped his fist.

"Same here!" Tifa exclaimed as she joined in.

"...a flower girl from the slums," Aerith murmured, uncomfortable of the thought of reintroducing herself to the Vice President of the company that tortured her and her biological mother.

"A research specimen," Nanaki bluntly stated without much worry.

"A caveman," Obi-Wan simply said, unsure of what to say.

Rufus did not know how to react to such a randomly assembled team. So, he only shrugged and commented dully, "What a crew."

The Vice President smoothed his hair and introduced himself, "Well, I'm the President of Shinra Inc."

"You're only President 'cause your old man died!" the gun man fumed angrily.

"That's right," Rufus replied nonchalantly as he observed the view of Midgar. "I'll let you hear my new 'appointment speech'."

The new President walked to Tifa and began, "Old man tried to control the world with money. It seems to have been working." He slowly went to Aerith and continued, "The population believed that Shinra would protect them." Rufus walked to Barret. "Work for Shinra, get your pay. If a terrorist attacks, the Shinra army will help you. It looks perfect on the outside."

President Shinra then pointed at himself and stated, "But, I do things differently. I'll control the world with fear. It takes too much to do it like my old man." Rufus walked to the railing of the balcony and explained, "A little fear will control the minds of the common people. There's no reason to waste money on them."

Then there was a pause; everyone remained still as statues. Tifa, who eventually broke the silence, said with a shake of her head, "He likes to make speeches just like his father."

Cloud turned to Barret and told him, "Get out of this building."

"What?" the gun man responded as he turned to the blond mercenary.

"I'll explain later, Barret! This is a real crisis for the Planet!"

"The hell's that supposed to mean?"

"I'll tell you later! Just take my word for it. I'll go after I take care of him!"

"Alright!" With that, Barret ran into the office through the broken window and shouted to the rest of the team, "Follow me, guys!"

* * *

><p>As Barret led the way down the stairs, everyone else except Cloud followed. When they ran down the fancy stairway and tried to run through the hallway that led to the elevator, Aerith halted as she recalled something.<p>

"Cloud..." the flower girl mumbled. "I just thought of something."

Tifa walked back to Aerith and said, "I'll wait for Cloud. Everyone else, get to the elevator!" The bar hostess remained in the stairway room as the rest began to head to the elevator.

"Hmm, it's going to get pretty ugly from here on," the Cetra pointed out to the rest. "We should check our equipment."

"Good thinking, Aerith," Obi-Wan said as he checked his lightsaber and his duffel bag he was still carrying. "I'm all good right now."

"I'm all set, as well," Nanaki replied with a nod.

"I was always ready," Barret said with a smirk. He then turned to the Jedi and asked, "What is that laser sword thing you were holding earlier, anyway?"

"It is a 'lightsaber'," the knight answered as he showed his weapon. "I'll explain to you more about it once we get out of this desolate building."

"By the way, nice hat, Obi," Aerith said with a smile.

"Eh, I just wore it to hide my face," the Jedi explained as he took off his cap. He then dropped it and said, "No point in hiding now, though. And by the way, how did you people get all of your weapons back? The guards must have hidden them somewhere unknown."

"Actually, they left all of our stuff just outside our cells," the Cetra explained.

"Thanks to that, we were also able to equip ourselves with Materia," the red lion added.

"...To think that the security of the biggest company in the whole planet is this _bad_..." Obi-Wan mumbled in utter disbelief as he put his face into his palm.

"Alright guys, let's go to the elevator!" Barret shouted as he began to lead the way.

The team soon arrived at the elevator. The gun man literally punched the 'down' button. The elevator arrived and the four rushed inside the one that opened first.

"Next stop, first floor," the AVALANCHE leader said as he pressed the 'one' button. As the elevator doors closed, Barret laughed, "Well, this is rather easy-"

"I wish you kept those words to yourself," Obi-Wan interrupted as he looked at the elevator next to theirs, or rather the thing that was in the elevator next to theirs.

Inside the elevator was a giant black tank-like machine. Its body consisted of two giant gatling guns and a smaller gun that was concealed. Its head consisted of even more guns such as machine guns and cannons.

"How does a _tank_ fit in an _elevator_?" Aerith asked in disbelief.

Nanaki shrugged and replied, "Well, this _is _a big elevator-"

"Everyone get down!" Barret shouted as he ducked.

As soon as the rest ducked, the tank began to shoot at the elevator with all of its guns. Bullets flew everywhere and flames seemed to shoot out in all directions. Fortunately for the team, the machine missed its targets as it began to quickly cool down and reload.

"We gotta get that thing outta here!" the gun man began as he stood up. When the rest began to stand up, Nanaki shouted, "It's out of our range! We gotta use our Materia. I got my fire spells ready."

"I have my bolt Materia ready to be used!" Aerith exclaimed as she began to conjure up a lightning bolt spell.

"My gun is all I need," Barret said as he aimed his gun arm at the machine. "Alright! Now fire-!"

Before the three were able to do anything, Obi-Wan already channeled enough Force into his right hand. As soon as he was ready, the knight shot his hand and launched a powerful Force push at the tank. The Force push utterly shattered the glass walls in its way and struck the deadly machine. With no resistance, the tank was sent flying out of the elevator and began to fall to the ground. The impact was heard several seconds later.

There was tingling feeling in the Jedi's right hand. "Gah, it's been awhile since I performed a Force push of that magnitude," the knight said to the rest as he rubbed his irritated hand. "My hand has never been _this_ irritated for a while now."

No one replied to his comment. Realizing this, Obi-Wan turned to his team.

They were all wearing a very shocked expression. Their mouths were agape and their eyes were wide open.

Nanaki was the first to say something. "How in the..."

"The hell did you...?" Barret let out.

"...That was amazing!" Aerith exclaimed happily. "You didn't even need to activate your lightsaber!"

"The Force push is a classic ability mastered by all Jedi knights," the knight explained as he picked up his duffel bag once again. "Although, I can tell I am truly 'out of shape'. As I said before, it has been a while since my hand got irritated because of this."

Barret then got some of his senses back and blurted, "That's the most amazing shit I've seen in my whole life!"

"Just who are you, anyway?" Nanaki asked, not able to shake off the shock.

"I'll explain once we get out of this place," Obi-Wan said once again.

The rest of the elevator trip was relatively peaceful thanks to the Jedi.

* * *

><p>"Why do you want to fight?" Rufus asked coolly as he shrugged.<p>

"You seek the Promised Land and Sephiroth," Cloud replied calmly as he looked into the President's cold blue eyes.

"Hm, exactly..." Shinra said with a small nod.

Rufus began to walk to the helicopter and inquired, "Did you know that Sephiroth was an Ancient?"

The ex-SOLDIER tried to answer the question, but he eventually refrained himself from doing so and simply stated, "A lot has happened. Anyway, I cannot let you or Sephiroth have the Promised Land." With that said, the mercenary drew his Buster Sword, which was clipped onto the leather strap on his back.

"I see," Rufus replied with a shake of his head. He then gave a brief hand signal to the pilot who was in the helicopter. The man in the vehicle threw a shotgun at the President, who caught the weapon with ease. Also, a black jaguar-like creature jumped off the helicopter, which was now beginning to hover near the railing of the balcony, and slowly walked to Rufus' side. "I guess this means we won't be becoming friends," Shinra finished nonchalantly.

At that moment, the beast leapt towards Cloud. The mercenary was on his guard and held his sword horizontally with both hands. As soon as the creature bit the blade, Cloud continued to hold the sword and rolled backwards. The beast lost its hold on the weapon and was thrown to the other side of the balcony. When the swordsman quickly got up to his feet, however, the jaguar also stood up and launched himself towards the mercenary with all its paws spread out. This time, Cloud rammed his Buster Sword into the creature's chest; the beast roared in pain as it slid down the blade and began to slowly die.

A split second later, the mercenary was able to hear a click of a gun. Instantly, he spun around and defended himself from the shotgun shot. Only a few pellets grazed his left forearm, which did not bother him much.

Rufus aimed his shotgun at Cloud and fired again. The ex-SOLDIER quickly stepped to his right and jumped into the air. As he came down with his sword over his head, the President quickly jumped back and avoided the mercenary's deadly jump attack. Unbeknownst to Shinra, Cloud was not finished with his attack.

The swordsman actually channeled his energy into his Buster Sword when he was performing the jump attack. When the blade met contact with the balcony floor, the large illuminating beam emitted from the sword, and it headed straight towards the President himself.

The gunner quickly used his Materia and casted "Barrier", creating a white crystal-shaped ethereal shield around himself. Rufus was hit by the blade beam, but the ethereal barrier he made greatly minimized the damage he was about to receive.

The President quickly regained his footing and fired another round at the mercenary. But this time, the shot hit Cloud's right shoulder, which caused the swordsman to drop his sword. Rufus used his chance to kick the mercenary back. When the mercenary, who was clutching his right shoulder in pain, stumbled backwards, the gunner aimed his shotgun and tried to fire another shot. Cloud caught the President by surprise when he ignored his pain and fired an ice spell. Although his barrier protected him from massive damage, Rufus' concentration was shifted as he completely missed his shot and accidentally fired a round into the sky.

Cloud used this chance to use his healing Materia to cast "Cure" on himself. He felt the healing wind rushing through him and instantly, the swordsman no longer felt any pain in his right shoulder. (Although, if it had not been for his SOLDIER enhancements, the shotgun shot, which was already capable of tearing off body parts, would have completely obliterated his right arm.) The mercenary ran towards the recovering gunner and punched him in the face.

The punch caused Rufus to stumbled backwards. When Cloud rushed to his sword and picked it up, however, he found Shinra leaning against the railing and aiming his shotgun at the swordsman. This time, Cloud casted an ice spell and froze the President's shotgun.

...and Rufus' hand.

As a sharp, freezing pain shot through his arm, Rufus dropped his gun and clutched his frozen hand. When Cloud tried to approach him, however, the President climbed onto the railing and laughed through his pain, "Heh... That's all for today." Before the mercenary was able to respond, the gunner jumped and held onto the helicopter's landing skids above him with his good hand. With that, the helicopter quickly flew away.

_And the rat gets away_, Cloud thought angrily as he kicked the frozen shotgun on the ground. _Damn it._

The mercenary glanced at his right shoulder. He was able to spot blood and some holes on it. _If I don't deal with this wound_, Cloud thought as he observed his wound, _it's going to start hurting like hell._

He soon brushed off the thought and exited the balcony through the broken window. The swordsman clipped the sword onto his back as he ran down the stairs.

To his surprise, Tifa was waiting for him downstairs.

"Cloud-" she began until she saw the wound on Cloud's shoulder. She gasped, "Cloud! Are you okay?!"

"I'm fine," the mercenary said. "We can worry about this later. More importantly, though, I wasn't able to finish Rufus off. This is gonna get complicated."

* * *

><p>Aerith, Obi-Wan, Barret, and Nanaki arrived at the first floor. The four ran to the main lobby.<p>

Barret ran to the main entrance doors and shouted, "I'll go on ahead!" With that, he ran out of the building.

Before the rest were able to follow, however, they were able to hear a rain of gunfire outside. Barret quickly retreated back into the building.

"Shit!" the gun man fumed angrily. "Surrounded, huh? If I was alone, this wouldn't be a thing. But, I got a reputation to protect." He then turned to the Jedi and asked, "How 'bout you just use your magic powers and get us out of here?"

"In this case, it's too difficult to just rush through the crowd," Obi-Wan admitted as he crossed his arms. "However, I believe I have an escape plan that might work."

"Please tell us what you have in mind," Nanaki said as he turned to the knight.

"We should try finding any passageways in the basements," the knight stated. "Most of the forces operate on ground or above."

"What if there aren't any passageways in there?" Aerith asked worriedly as she glanced at the main exit.

"If that's the case, we will make one," Obi-Wan said as he lifted the lightsaber.

"Yeah, that could work," Barret admitted with a shrug. "But what if there are Shinra forces in the basement as well?"

"It is significantly easier to fight them in a closed area than in an open area," the Jedi explained with a smile.

"Oh, good thinking," the red lion complimented.

"Thank you," the knight replied.

"Ugh, so we're gonna have to sneak around some more?" Barret grumbled, hoping that some sort of intervention would occur.

Then, someone from afar shouted, "Barret!"

"Tifa!" the gun man exclaimed as he saw the fighter running down the stairs. "Where's Cloud?"

"Everyone, over here!" Tifa shouted near the stairs.

"Huh? What's up?" Barret asked. "Where's Cloud?"

"I'll tell you later! Hurry!"

The five began to run down the hallway. As they did, Barret saw Cloud coming down the stairs.

Except, he was riding a large, black motorcycle. He drove past the rest of the team and waited for them.

"Get in the truck!" Tifa shouted as she jumped into one of the Shinra cars in display in the hallway. It was a sky blue truck that looked very slow in Obi-Wan's eyes, but he did not complain. Tifa sat in the driver's seat and Aerith in the passenger's seat. Nanaki, Barret, and Obi-Wan jumped into the truck bed. When everyone was in the vehicle, Cloud proceeded to drive up the stairs. Tifa followed and drove the truck up the stairs. Then, the mercenary drove at full speed and went straight to a window, crashing out of the building and landing on an elevated highway. The fighter was also successful and she landed the truck on the same highway.

"If we follow this road, then we'll get outta this place in no time," Barret assured with a loud voice as the truck rushed through the elevated highway.

Cloud followed right beside the truck. As he was driving his motorcycle, the blond turned his head to look behind. He immediately turned to the truck and gave a thumbs down signal.

Obi-Wan noticed the hand signal and looked back. The Jedi saw that several armored men riding motorcycles were pursuing them. The knight turned to Nanaki and Barret and shouted through the noise of the truck's whirring engine, "Enemy groups behind us!"

"They're wielding swords!" the red beast notified as he examined the group of motorcyclists chasing them.

"Damn. It's the Shinra Pursuit Squad!" the gun man exclaimed. He turned to driver seat and shouted through the open window, "We got the Pursuit Squad chasing us! It's about time you show off your driving skills!"

Tifa stepped on the acceleration pedal harder and warned, "This truck won't go any faster than this. Brace yourselves, everyone. Things will get a little... out of hand."

"You know," Aerith said as she looked at the rear-view mirror to see the Pursuit Squad coming closer, "there were better cars all over the Shinra Building. Instead, we had to choose THIS piece of junk."

"Hey! We were in a hurry, so we didn't have much choice!" the fighter shouted in defense.

"Just saying," the flower girl grumbled.

When the Shinra Pursuit Squad were in range, Cloud unclipped the Buster Sword from his back and decelerated to get close to the motorcyclists.

As the swordsman slowed down, the Shinra soldiers tried to attack the blond. Cloud, however, retaliated by slashing their vehicles, the blade smoothly cutting through the bikes like knife going through warm butter. The motorcycles fell over, causing their riders to roll across the highway road.

Almost as if responding to the fallen soldiers, reinforcements immediately arrived. The ex-SOLDIER was not able to take down all of the motorcyclists at once, allowing several squad members to catch up to the truck Tifa was driving.

"There are three coming at us!" Nanaki warned as he spotted three motorcyclists coming at them. "I can't do much to them. They're out of my range, and if I miss my magic shot, it might hit Cloud."

"Don't worry, I got 'em!" Barret shouted as he aimed his gun at the bikers. With quick precision, he shot one down, killing the motorcyclist. The gun man killed the next one with ease.

"Just one more," the AVALANCHE leader mumbled to himself as he aimed his gun arm at the Pursuit Squad member, who raised his sword to attack Tifa.

Before the motorcyclist and Barret were able to do anything, the biker was instantly sent flying off the highway. The gun man and Nanaki dumbly stared at the road before turning to Obi-Wan, who had his hand lifted.

"Sorry about that," the Jedi said with a smile. "If I hadn't done that, Tifa would have been gravely injured."

"No, it's fine," Barret stated with a quick shake of his head. "Actually, you should use your magic hand thing more often."

While the truck was remaining unharmed, Cloud was doing his best to ward off the Pursuit Squad, slashing away motorcyclists coming his way. As the group progressed through the dark city, the swordsman noticed that no squad members were chasing them. When the blond looked back, he saw a giant metallic machine pursuing them.

"...Of course, they send in machines to make up for their incompetence," Cloud mumbled with a smirk. He then accelerated and drove close to the truck. "We got a giant machine chasing us!"

"Eh?!" Tifa stuttered as she quickly glanced at the rear-view mirror.

"ANOTHER robot?!" Aerith groaned as she planted her face into her palms.

"Just how many do Shinra keep them?!" Barret shouted as he observed the giant machine behind the truck. It was a tank bigger than the one that ambushed them in the elevator. The tank had three pairs of giant spiked wheels and a intimidating silver body that consisted of...

"Oh, it has claws and blades this time," Nanaki noted as he looked at the machine. "At least it doesn't have any guns."

"You never know," Obi-Wan commented dully.

Not many minutes passed when the AVALANCHE team reached the end of the road. It was simply cut off above the wall of the city. Tifa and Cloud abruptly hit the brakes at the edge of the road.

"A dead end," Cloud said as he got off of his motorcycle.

The rest of the team boarded off the truck and spotted the giant metal tank heading straight towards them.

"Brace yourselves, guys!" Tifa shouted as she put up a defensive stance. "This is going to get ugly..."

Before anyone was able to, Obi-Wan ignited his lightsaber and threw it at the machine with all his might. The Jedi was successful and the lightsaber penetrated the main body of the tank, melting its main processors inside. Instantly, the tank was deactivated and it slid across the road up to the knight.

"Well, that was certainly not difficult," Obi-Wan commented with satisfaction as he walked behind the tank and picked up the deactivated lightsaber.

The rest of the team were simply standing and staring at the Jedi, dumbfounded.

"...Wow," Nanaki murmured with his eyes wide open.

"To think that anyone could end a battle that quickly," Tifa commented with astonishment.

"Seriously, though, would you like to join us and save the planet?" Barret asked once more.

"Well, that's Obi for you guys!" Aerith cheerfully stated.

Cloud, however, had a different thought about this occurrence. "If anyone is given a weapon that could penetrate anything so easily," he commented sternly, "he or she can do that sort of thing with ease."

"Aw, c'mon, Cloud," the flower girl said as she nudged the ex-SOLDIER with her elbow. "You gotta admit that 'sort of thing' is kinda cool."

"Whatever," the blond brushed away as he turned to the end of the highway, watching the sun rise in the horizon.

"Well," Barret began as he looked around, "what do we do now?"

"Sephiroth is alive," Cloud said as he continued to look at the horizon. "...I have to settle the score."

"And that will save the Planet?" the gun man asked as he walked up to the swordsman.

"...Seems like it," Cloud said with a nod.

"Alright!" Barret shouted with determination. "I'll go!"

"I'll go, too," Aerith said as she walked up to the blond. "...I have things that I want to find out."

"About the Ancients?" the ex-SOLDIER inquired as he turned to face her.

"...Many things," the Cetra corrected as she looked distantly.

"I guess this is good bye, Midgar," Tifa stated as she bothered not to look behind to take a glance at the metropolis one last time.

* * *

><p>The entire group climbed down to the ground using a construction rope that was hanging on the edge of the highway. Thankfully for them, the rope led directly outside the walls of Midgar.<p>

Cloud, who was the last one to climb down the rope, went to the rest of the group.

"We told Aerith's mom to go somewhere safe," Barret explained to the blond. "So, Marlene should be safe, too."

"That's good to hear," the swordsman replied with a nod.

"She said she didn't want to stay in Midgar anymore," Aerith said. "Maybe it's for the best."

The group decided to take a short break before they begin to follow Sephiroth's tracks. After the short break, Cloud stood up and said, "Alright, let's go."

Barret stood up and began, "We need a group leader for our journey." He then began to box a nonexistent opponent and said, "Of course only I could be the leader."

At this, Tifa tapped her chin with concern and asked, "You think so?"

A moment later, Aerith walked up to Barret and kindly said with a nice smile, "It would have to be Cloud."

Obi-Wan nearly laughed at the shocked expression the gun man produced.

When the AVALANCHE leader looked around to see that everyone seemed to agree with the flower girl, he slumped back and grumbled, "...Alright. Anyway, we gotta go northeast to a town called Kalm. If something happens, we'll meet up there." Barret then sat on the ground and continued, "'Sides, we can't have six people strollin' down the fields. It's too dangerous. We gotta split to two parties."

"Alright, then," Obi-Wan stated with a smile as he unzipped his duffel bag. "Anyway, who would like to go with me?"  
>"I'll be going with you," Nanaki replied as he turned to the Jedi.<p>

"Count me in," the gun man grumbled.

"Well, then I guess Aerith and I are going with Cloud," Tifa said as she turned to the Cetra.

Aerith responded with a thumbs up.

At this, Barret smirked and commented, "Thought that would happen." He then stood up and said, "Later, at Kalm!"

Obi-Wan just stared into the horizon. He pulled out his brown robe and wore it over his Shinra uniform. _Hopefully, this journey will lead to something_, the Jedi hoped. _Also, there is that maniacal murderer called "Sephiroth" on the loose._ The knight looked above the city to see the dark polluted clouds. _And with Shinra chasing us, we'll have to travel quickly. This will definitely not be a peaceful journey._

And so, Obi-Wan, Barret, and Nanaki began their journey first with Cloud, Tifa, and Aerith going second. All six knew they were venturing into the battlefield where their survival was not guaranteed. But, that was not going to stop them from trying to save Gaia, their planet.

The race for the Planet's survival began.


	10. Hitchhikers May Be Escaping Convicts

"_**Warning"**_

**FORGE THE PATH**

**Chapter X : Hitchhikers May Be Escaping Convicts**

"Do you have a world map I can look at?" Obi-Wan asked as he walked behind Barret.

"Not yet," the gun man answered as he looked back at the knight. "I'm planning on buying 'em at Kalm. I still have some money in my pockets."

Barret, Obi-Wan, and Nanaki were ahead of the rest of the team. They were currently walking in a huge grassy meadow that seemed to stretch out to the end of the world. White, puffy clouds were floating in the bright blue sky. The group destroyed several hostile Shinra robots on the way, but it proved slightly difficult for Obi-Wan to use a lightsaber while carrying a duffel bag.

"The weather is certainly nice," Nanaki commented as he walked on the soft, grassy ground.

"It feels pretty good to actually breathe in real air for once," Barret admitted as he stretched his arms.

The three continued to tread on the grassy landscape. Then, Obi-Wan noticed something close by.

"I see Kalm," the Jedi announced as he pointed at a small town that was just a kilometer away.

"Looks like our seven hour trip is coming to an end," the red lion said with a smile.

"Heh, seems like it," Barret said with a nod. He then turned to the knight and began, "By the way, Obi-Wan..."

"If you are trying to ask me about whether I want to join your group or not, I'm still adhering to my answer," Obi-Wan interrupted.

"Aw, c'mon!" the gun man grumbled. "Just 'cause you're an alien doesn't mean you have to say 'no' all the time!"

"I know it's disappointing for you, Barret," Nanaki consoled, "but you'll have to respect Obi-Wan's choice."

"You're the one to talk!" Barret grumbled at the red beast. "You're just followin' us till you meet your grandfather or somethin'!"

Sometime during their travel, Obi-Wan explained his backstory to both Barret and Nanaki. He told them all about his status as a Jedi Knight, the fall of the Jedi Order, and his final duel with Darth Vader. After he told the story, the gun man resumed his mission to recruit the Jedi Knight. Much to his dismay, Obi-Wan continued to decline the offer.

"It is best for me to not interfere with affairs of other worlds," the Jedi explained.

"No offense, man," Barret stubbornly continued, "but you already 'interfered' with our 'affairs' by beatin' the hell outta Sephiroth and Shinra. Not to mention, you busted up those robot motorcyclists that hang around near Midgar."

"I am not changing my answer," Obi-Wan politely replied with a smile. "I'll be assisting you and your team until I find a way back to my world."

The gun man simply grumbled in response.

"I am fully aware that it sounds selfish," the Jedi explained, "but I assure you, it is for the best of all of us."

"...Fine, fine," Barret mumbled as he continued to walk to the town of Kalm.

The three were now very close to the small town. It was now high-noon of the day.

"Well, we're nearly there, now," the gun man announced as he looked at his teammates.

"I admit, I'm slightly tired now," Nanaki said with a yawn. As he stretched his legs, he turned to Obi-Wan and said, "You're certainly lucky that you have the Force to keep yourself from getting exhausted."

"It's not the Force. I'm just used to fighting and walking for hours," Obi-Wan replied with a smile. "Also, you were confined in that laboratory, so it must have been a little more difficult for you to walk for a long time."

"Hmm, that's true," the red lion concurred. He then looked back and wondered out loud, "I wonder how Cloud and his team are doing."

"They should be fine," the Jedi said with no worries.

"I'm more worried about Aerith," the beast said with a frown. "It is, after all, her first time to ever set foot out of Midgar. It must be tiring for her to walk all the way here."

Obi-Wan, however, shook his head and replied, "To be honest, I seriously doubt we have to worry about that girl."

* * *

><p>"Come on, slowpokes!" Aerith happily exclaimed. "We are way too behind! Let's speed up a bit!"<p>

Due to confrontations with Shinra's robotic enemies, Cloud, Tifa, and Aerith did not make much progress in their trip to Kalm. They were still in the lifeless, rocky lands in Midgar's region.

The flower girl was incredibly stoked to venture out into the world. Although the region they were in was dull and lifeless due to Midgar's power plants slowly sucking out the Planet's life, the Cetra still felt like she was freed from her chains. The land seemed to stretch on forever and the sky looked so big.

"She's awfully cheerful," Tifa said with a chuckle as she looked at Aerith who was staring at the sky.

"You can say that again," Cloud agreed as he continued to walk. He stared distantly into the horizon, lost in his own thoughts.

Noticing this, the fighter turned to her friend and asked, "Are you okay? Is something bothering you?"

"Nah, I'm fine," the swordsman replied nonchalantly. He then rubbed his shoulder and stated, "I better get this wound cleaned up once we reach Kalm."

"You're acting as if a shotgun fire to the shoulder is nothing much," Tifa said with concern. "Are you sure you don't need it treated right now?"

"I'm fine," the blond repeated dully. He still appeared to be in his train of thoughts.

Giving up on trying to figure out what he was thinking, Tifa simply said, "We better speed up before Aerith flies away."

"Heeeey!" Aerith shouted from far away. She was so far ahead that she needed to shout at the top of her lungs.

"Hang on!" Tifa shouted back. She then began to speed up as she dragged Cloud by his arm, which alarmed him.

"Whoa, whoa, what the...?" Cloud stuttered as his train of thought derailed.

"Sorry for bursting your personal bubble," the fighter apologized as she continued to drag him. She then turned to the flower girl and shouted, "Just a minute!"

* * *

><p>"Ladies and gentlemen," Barret began as his group entered the town. "Er... Actually, just gentlemen," he quickly corrected himself as he glanced at the red lion and the knight. The gun man then turned around and said, "This is Kalm."<p>

Obi-Wan and Nanaki curiously observed the small yet charming town. The knight saw that nothing much changed since his first arrival at the village.

"It's a nice place," the red lion said as he looked at the small buildings around them.

"It's a good thing that the inn's right next to the entrance," Barret said as he stretched his arms. "I'm gettin' really tired now. I'll get two rooms." With that said, the burly man entered the inn.

"Well, what are you going to do now?" Nanaki asked the knight.

"I'll be waiting for the others at the entrance," the Jedi answered with a smile. "I do not want to go into the inn just yet."

"...Same here," the beast said as he began to walk to the entrance. "Waiting in the inn will probably be too dull."

"Aren't you gonna change your clothes?" the gun man asked with a raise of his eyebrow.

"Not now," the Jedi knight answered as he looked the Shinra uniform he was still wearing.

"Whatever you say," Barret replied with a yawn as he went into the inn, leaving Obi-Wan and Nanaki behind.

The two went out the entrance and saw the wide grassy land that covered the terrain. Obi-Wan sat on a nearby bench while Nanaki simply sat on a ground next to him. The two then silently stared at the scenery for quite a while.

Nanaki was the first to break the silence. "So," he began, "what do you think about all this?"

"About 'all this'?" Obi-Wan asked as he turned to the red lion.

"Arriving at Gaia after being slain by your enemy," Nanaki elaborated. "I'm sorry if it's a rude question-"

"No, it's quite alright," the Jedi assured. He then turned back to the scenery and began, "I was incredibly confused at first. I was supposed to become a Force ghost, but I ended up here. Things did not go as planned, to say the least.

"Honestly, it felt invigorating to be young once more," Obi-Wan admitted with a chuckle. "Even so, I was and still am worried about Luke. He is the reason why I am trying so desperately to go back to my world."

"...Wow," Nanaki mumbled as he stared into the distance. "It must be tough..."

"Don't worry too much about me," the knight commented.

"To be honest, though, I'm not sure if grandpa really knows the way back," the red lion admitted with a sigh.

"It would be a miracle if he did," Obi-Wan agreed as he stroked his beard. "However, I do believe that he will point me in a right direction."

"Grandpa's good at that," Nanaki stated with confidence. "I'm very sure he'll help you out."

While the two continued to observe the grassy fields, they noticed someone running in the horizon. The figure was running towards Kalm.

"I see someone over there," the red lion stated as he stood up.

"I see only one person," the Jedi added. "I don't think it's Cloud's group."

About half an hour later, the figure, who was still running, was now much closer. When Obi-Wan gave a closer look, he blurted, "Isn't that Aerith?"

After carefully observing the running figure, Nanaki stated with disbelief, "I think it is Aerith..."

"Where are the other two?" Obi-Wan said with concern. "Why is Aerith alone?"

"What if she's getting chased by someone?" the red beast asked. "This could be bad. What if Cloud and Tifa are..."

"Actually, hold that thought," the Jedi said as he looked at Aerith, who was now very close. "She has a very big smile plastered on her face."

"...Oh."

Minutes later, Aerith arrived at the entrance of Kalm. As she stopped running, she began to gasp for air. When the flower girl looked up, she found Obi-Wan and Nanaki next to her.

"Oh, hi guys!" the Cetra exclaimed in excitement as she continued to breathe heavily. "I just... had an awesome race with Cloud and Tifa!"

"A race, hm?" the Jedi asked with a smirk.

"But I don't see Cloud or Tifa anywhere," Nanaki commented with a neutral expression.

"Huh?" Aerith looked around her and saw that the swordsman and the fighter were nowhere to be seen. After scratching her head and pondering about the situation, she stated grumpily, "Maybe they ditched me and decided to go... _together_...with_ nobody _around to bother them."

"...You have quite an imagination," the knight commented dryly. "Although, I doubt they would actually do that in a time like this."

"Maybe you outran them," the red lion suggested.

"Me? Outrun them?" Aerith repeated incredulously as she rolled her eyes. "I don't think a simple flower girl like me can actually _outrun_ an ex-SOLDIER and a martial artist."

* * *

><p>"The hell took you three so long?" Barret asked Cloud, Tifa, and Aerith with a displeased look.<p>

The whole party was now in one of the rooms at the second floor of the inn. Barret sat on one of the chairs situated near a wall. Tifa and Aerith were sitting on the rim of one of the three beds. Cloud, after cleaning his shotgun wound he received from Rufus and wrapping white bandage around his right shoulder, was simply standing next to the window. Nanaki was sitting on the floor next to Obi-Wan, who was still in his security guard uniform and was leaning against a wall next to the door.

"We were attacked by a large group of Shinra robots," Cloud explained calmly. "And by large, I mean _very large_."

"They usually attacked in teams of two or three," Tifa added. "They were not that difficult to take down."

"Yeah, but it was very time-consuming," Aerith pointed out. She then held up several Materias and said happily, "Well, on the bright side we were able to stack up some 'Ability Points' for these Materias by beating up those baddies."

"'Ability Points'?" Obi-Wan inquired.

"Basically, the more you use a Materia, the stronger it will get, allowing you to use its stronger abilities," Nanaki quickly explained.

"Ah, I see," the knight said as he stroked his beard. "Perhaps I should begin using these 'Materias'."

"...You should," the flower girl stated as she yawned. "Materias can save you from all sorts of trouble."

"It's best if you buy somethin' to slot 'em into," Barret added as he inspected his gun-arm, "like a weapon or an armor piece."

"Very interesting," Obi-Wan commented with a grin. "I must start using one soon."

"I'm certain there is a Materia shop here in this town," Tifa said with a smile. "Maybe we could buy you one if we have some gil to spend."

"That is very generous of you," the knight began to reply as he tried to pull something out of his robes, "but I-"

Before he finished his comment, however, Cloud interjected as he turned to the auburn-haired man, "Now that I think about it, we never actually did hear your full story, Obi-Wan."

Tifa, realizing that she did not hear the knight's story, stated, "I'm left out in the dark, as well." The fighter then turned to Barret and Nanaki and guessed with a smirk, "And I assume you two already heard his story during the trip, am I correct?"

"Spot on," Barret replied with a smile as Nanaki nodded in agreement. "Although, I wouldn't mind hearin' his story again. It's damn interestin' if you ask me."

"I second that," the flower girl happily said as she sat up.

Hearing this, Obi-Wan jokingly replied with a laugh, "Well, you two flatter me."

_Oh, you must be enjoying this_, the ex-SOLDIER groaned as he rolled his eyes.

As the Jedi tapped his chin, he mumbled, "...Now, where shall I begin... Ah! Yes."

Thus, Obi-Wan told his story to the rest of the party. He talked about the Jedi Order, the Clone Wars, Anakin's "death", the rise of the Galactic Empire, and his duel with Darth Vader.

After hearing this story, Tifa, whose eyes were wide with excitement and curiosity, mumbled, "...Whoa...just...wow..."

"Someone's amazed," Aerith commented gleefully.

"So many questions I want to ask," the female fighter mused out loud, "but I don't know where to start first..."

"Don't be shy to ask them," the Jedi welcomed her.

"So, you're an alien?" Tifa blurted out.

Obi-Wan chuckled at this. So far, everyone who heard his story asked that question. "Yes, I am."

"I dunno," the woman continued. "I thought aliens would look... weirder."

"I have a great amount of friends who you would consider as 'weird-looking'," the knight commented with a smile.

"I could already imagine how some of them would look like," Aerith said with a giggle. She then placed two fingers on each side of her mouth and croaked with a deep voice, "Wort, wort, wort."

Barret, who enjoyed Obi-Wan's story, was disappointed to see Cloud's untroubled facial expression. "You're awfully calm about this, Spikey," the gun man called out to the blond.

Everyone else turned to see that the swordsman was rather unperturbed by the Jedi's backstory.

The only comment Cloud came up with was, "I was only mostly interested in where he got that powerful weapon."

Nanaki decided to answer the question. He looked up and began, "Well, he said that he built it while he was-"

"I want none of that," the swordsman cut the red lion off. "I'm not buying any of this fiction."

"'Fiction'?" the Jedi asked as he raised an eyebrow.

"Hey, man," Barret began as he cleared his throat, "I dunno 'bout you, but if he can pull off magic junk without any Materia, I'd say that he's not a normal guy from around here at the very least."

In an attempt to support the gun man, Tifa said, "I'll admit, I wouldn't have believed his story under ordinary circumstances. But this man clearly showed evidences that he's, well, not from around here. I doubt that it'll hurt to believe."

_I can't believe they actually think his story is real_, Cloud angrily thought. With a defeated sigh, he said, "You guys believe what you want to believe. I'm still adamant in my position, but I'm not going question Obi-Wan any further regarding his past."

Obi-Wan was content with this and said with a small smile, "That's fine by me."

Aerith, however, stayed silent in this matter. She was slightly taken aback at how Cloud outright refused to believe the Jedi's story. It made her feel strange and a little sad.

The whole room became quiet afterwards. After a short awkward moment of silence, the Jedi spoke up, "I would like to buy this world's map."

"Speaking of buying," Cloud began, "it's best if we stock up on some items and buy new equipments."

"Yeah, but what should we buy?" Nanaki inquired as he scratched his nose.

"Lots o' stuff," Barret answered concisely, "like tents, potions, Phoenix Downs..."

"'Phoenix Downs'?" Obi-Wan interrupted with curiosity.

"Stuff that stops you from bleeding to death or somethin'," the burly man cryptically answered with a shrug. "And don't ask me how it works. All I know is that it can prevent death."

"Well, that's certainly a useful item," the knight commented with a smirk.

"If we have enough money left," Tifa thought out loud, "we will be able to buy new weapons and armor pieces."

After tapping her chin, Aerith asked the others, "How much money do we even have, anyway?"

"...Aw shucks," Barret grumbled as he shook his head in annoyance. "I left most of my money at my HQ. I only got 50 gil."

"That's an incredible amount of gil," Cloud sarcastically commented with a smirk. "You can buy a whole potion with it. Maybe even two if you're lucky."

"Shut up, Spikey."

"Anyway, I still have that 2,000 gil you payed me," the blond said as he pulled out his wallet. The swordsman pulled a free chair that was next to him and placed it in the middle of the room. After pulling out the sum of 2000 gil and placing the money on a free chair, he turned to the others and asked, "Anyone else?"

"I got some," Tifa spoke up as she pulled out her worn out a black wallet. "300 gil," the fighter said as she placed her sum of money on the chair. "That makes 2300."

"Hey!" Barret exclaimed as he took out his 50 gil. "Don't forget my money! It's 2350."

"I have none," Aerith said with a frown. "The Shinra guards took all the money I had and probably used it for beer money."

"I don't have any money as well," Nanaki said. "Well, not that I ever needed it in the lab."

"Count me in the 'Poor Club'," Obi-Wan said with a chuckle. "I think I lost all of the gil I had. All I have left are some credit ingots."

"Err... what ingots?" the gun man asked as he scratched his head.

"Credit ingots," the Jedi repeated as he knelt down and began to rummage through his duffel bag. "It's part of the currency being used back in my world. I have some right now."

"Money from another world? Cool!" Aerith happily giggled.

"Ah, here is one," Obi-Wan said as he pulled out a golden credit ingot. "This is a credit ingot," he explained as he held out the golden credit. It was a small rectangular bar which was about two inches in length. There were some strange symbols stamped on the bar, but only Obi-Wan was able to read it.

"Whoa, is it solid gold?" Barret asked as his eyes widened at the sight of the credits.

"Solid gold? No," the Jedi replied with a chuckle. "It's mostly ordinary metal. There really isn't too much value in it."

"Well, it's good and all," Cloud sighed, "except, you can't use it here."

The discussion, however, came to an abrupt halt when a loud grumbling sound interrupted the party. The people then slowly turned to the source of the noise:

Nanaki.

"...I'm hungry," the red lion admitted with an embarrassed expression.

Upon hearing this, Tifa turned to the others as she mumbled, "Now that you mention it..." After tapping her chin in thought, she said with concern, "I'm hungry, too."

"Yeah, so am I," the gun man replied nonchalantly. "But, why the long face?"

"We only have 2300 gil," Cloud quickly answered for his childhood friend.

"...Crud," Barret murmured in horror as he roughly thought of all the items the team needed to purchase. "...And it's 2350 gil! Don't forget the contribution I made!"

"...Fine, whatever," the swordsman mumbled without much thought; he was beginning to worry about their arising financial issue.

Obi-Wan, who was still not used to the currency in Gaia, brought up a question. "Is 2350 gil really not enough to cover our expenses here?"

"It's not that much, really," Tifa answered with a sigh. "One night here is 40 gil, since we're using two rooms. That means that we only have 2310 gil left-"

"2350 gil!" Barret shouted in frustration. "The hell's so difficult about rememberin' the fact that I payed 50 gil?"

"...2350 gil," the fighter corrected herself with a shake of her head. "One tent costs 500 gil, but we'll have to buy more than one. So, at the very least, 1500 gil will be used for tents."

"And we need essential items such as potions, antidotes, and Phoenix Downs, so that'll probably do a number on our 'treasury'," Cloud continued. "All the Materia here will probably cost around 1500 gil, as well. So, buying some here is not going to be part of our option."

"...Blazes," Obi-Wan murmured grimly. "We are stuck in a rather precarious situation."

"Seems like it," Nanaki said as he shook his head. He then turned to Aerith and asked, "What do you think, Aerith?"

The Cetra, however, did not seem to be worried. In fact, she was quietly chuckling to herself. Aerith then began to heartily laugh.

"...What's so funny?" Cloud asked with an eyebrow raised, unamused by her attitude.

"Oh, come on!" Aerith laughed. "You guys seriously don't know what to do? I'm shocked. And I thought you guys were the experienced ones."

"What? You have a plan or something?" Tifa asked.

"Yup. It's a very simple one, too!" the flower girl explained. She then slowly turned to Obi-Wan with a mischievous grin and said, "Let's just say it has something to do with... persuasion."

At first, the Jedi had no idea what Aerith was talking about. Then, it hit him.

"No, I'm not going to use my mind trick on those people out there," the knight sternly said with a frown.

"Mind trick?" Cloud wondered out loud. "You mean that mind trick you told us about in your story?"

"Oh yeah," Tifa said as she remembered Obi-Wan's ability. "You can trick people into doing things for you, right?"

"Hey! That's freakin' sweet!" Barret exclaimed as he laughed. "We could use that to get EVERYTHING for free-!"

"By the Force!" the Jedi shouted in annoyance. "I'm _not_ going to use my mind trick on those civilians! Especially for stealing goods!"

"I know it sounds wrong, but it's the best option we have right now," Aerith tried to reason with the vexed knight as she stifled a laugh. "Try not to be too sensitive about it."

"'_Sensitive_'?" Obi-Wan repeated incredulously. "How uncivilized!"

"Hey! It's that phrase again!" the flower girl happily cheered. She then straightened her posture and said with Obi-Wan's accent, "How uncivilized!"

"...Hmm," Nanaki murmured as he finally stood up. "Stealing is definitely a wrong thing to do, but you people _are _trying to do the world a favor, so maybe it's okay to just...-"

"...You too, Nanaki?" Obi-Wan murmured with a shake of his head. The Jedi grabbed his own head in frustration as he sat down on the ground. He then looked up to see the rest of the party.

All of their eyes were fixed on him, hoping to get an answer out of him. He was almost surprised to see Cloud having the same expression as the rest of the party.

"...Blast it," the knight groaned with a defeated look.

* * *

><p>Two hours later, the whole party exited a local sea food restaurant with their stomachs full.<p>

"Wow, that food was great!" Aerith cheerfully said as she stretched her arms.

"Eh, I'm not a big fan of sea food, but I guess it was good enough," Barret commented with a satisfied nod.

"You think so?" Tifa asked worriedly as she turned to the burly man with a frown. "I don't know. The food smelled a bit... fishy."

"...Oh, I see what you did there," Nanaki lightly chuckled at the joke.

"Heh. I try my best," the fighter commented with a smile.

_...That joke wasn't that funny at all_, Cloud mused as he forced a chuckle. _Oh well, one hundred points for effort_. The swordsman noticed that the Jedi was being unusually quiet. He turned to the knight and saw Obi-Wan, who was back in his Jedi robes, walking quietly with his head hung low with a rather dark expression plastered on his face.

"...You look _petulant_, old man," Cloud said to the knight with a smirk, remembering what the Jedi said to him back at Tifa's bar.

"I technically robbed a general store, an equipment store, and a Materia shop," Obi-Wan flatly stated with a dry expression. "Of course I would look petulant."

"Don't be such a goody-two-shoes," the blond commented with a chuckle. "You're not going to be eternally punished for stealing just this once."

"Yeah," Aerith happily said as she joined the conversation. "Don't be too upset. It's just one time."

The Jedi shook his head and rubbed his forehead. He saw that both Aerith and Cloud were smiling at him (If the knight was in a better mood, he would have been shocked to see the ex-SOLDIER doing so). The Jedi then turned to the rest of the group, all of them chatting happily. With a defeated sigh, Obi-Wan said with a smile, "I guess you're right."

Before the two were able to respond, someone from afar shouted, "Hey, you! Mr. Robed Guy!"

Obi-Wan turned back to see a familiar brunette middle-aged man in a white shirt and blue pants running to him, waving.

"Mr. Wiki!" the knight called as he waved back.

"Hang on," Aerith said as she turned to look at James Wiki running towards them. "You know that man?"

"He's the first person I met after I somehow ended up in this planet," Obi-Wan explained.

"Is that so?" Cloud asked with a raise of his eyebrow. "I take it that you didn't tell him where you came from."

"You are most certainly correct," the Jedi answered.

As James Wiki came to a halt, he took several deep breaths and stood up straight. "Man, it's good to see you again in one piece."

"It's nice to meet you again, Mr. Wiki," Obi-Wan replied.

"Yeah..." the man murmured before noticing two people next to the knight. "I see you made some new friends!"

"Oh, yes," the Jedi said with a nod. "I was lucky to stumble across these people."

"Pleased to meet you," Aerith said with a smile.

Cloud only nodded with a neutral expression.

"Likewise," James replied with a nod.

As the four exchanged their greetings, Barret, Tifa, and Nanaki were already in front of the inn. The gun man turned around and saw that Cloud, Aerith, and Obi-Wan were still in the plaza talking to someone. He then shouted at them, "Hey, guys! Are you gonna come in?"

The blond turned to Barret and shouted back, "Yeah, don't worry about us! We'll come in soon."

"Sure thing!" the burly man responded before turning back to Nanaki and Tifa. "Don't worry 'bout them. Let's go in first." And with that, the three entered the inn.

As Cloud turned back around to join the conversation, he asked James, "...Speaking of which, did you perhaps see a tall man with long white hair in a black coat in this town?"

Upon hearing this question, the middle-aged man tapped his chin, lost in thought. Then, he snapped his fingers and replied, "I did, in fact. He's quite the hot topic right now. Mysterious fellow. He was here like three days ago."

"Do you have any idea where he went?" the blond inquired curiously.

"I heard from others that he's probably gonna head south. Many of 'em say he's probably going to Junon."

"...I see," the swordsman said with a nod. "Thank you, sir."

"Not a problem," James replied happily. "Oh! By the way, you heard about the terrorists bombing a Mako Reactor at Midgar?"

"...Oh yeah, that!" Aerith exclaimed, trying to conceal the fact that one of those terrorists was actually in their discussion. "Crazy stuff. Lots of chaos. Yup."

"It was more than just 'crazy stuff', and 'lots of chaos'," Obi-Wan commented.

"We better be careful," Cloud said cautiously. "You never know where they might be right now."

"Yeah, it's crazy," James agreed grimly. "And I think Shinra's sending in their men to catch them."

"What do you mean?" Obi-Wan asked, slightly confused.

"It happened to me yesterday," the middle-aged man recalled grimly. "It was evening. I was minding my own business in the plaza until someone in the back alley called me." James shuddered before continuing. "The better side of me told me not to go, but curiosity won me over and I decided to go into the back alley to the mysterious figure. After I went in there, the man asked me if I saw any terrorists pass by in this town. When I answered no, he just let me go."

_I thought Shinra wasn't interested in catching us_, Cloud thought with concern. _I thought they would be mainly focusing on Sephiroth._

"Can you describe this man's appearance?" Obi-Wan questioned as he crossed his arms.

At this, James scratched his head and said, "...I can't really say if he was a man. From the looks of it, he looked like a humanoid robot thing. He had gadgets and robotic parts and some junk all over him... or it. Again, not sure if he was man or machine."

"What makes you think that he might be a robot?" Aerith asked.

"There were rumors flying around saying that Shinra was working on building humanoid robots that can carry out secretive operations. According to the rumors, it is speculated that Shinra Inc. have a serious issue with their staggeringly low number of secret agents. To make up for this, the company began to make humanoid machines to make up for their lack of agents. It's all just rumors, but after my encounter with the suspicious man... or robot... I'm beginning to think that this rumor just might be true."

Cloud only stared at the man with incredulity. Then he sighed and said, "I seriously doubt it."

"Hey, you're only saying that because you never saw him," the man bickered. "He had gadgets all over his arms and his face was covered with something."

"What was it?" the Cetra asked excitedly.

"...Er, I didn't really get a clear view of his face," James admitted with a sigh. "It was too dark to see him clearly, but he certainly had a robotic raspy voice!"

"Is that so?" Obi-Wan muttered as he looked at the sky. The Jedi saw clouds glowing orange due to the setting sun. The sky was already becoming dark blue as the moon began to shine. _It seems like it is a good time to go back to the inn_, he thought before turning back to his group. "It's getting dark," he stated to the rest of the group. "We need to go back to the inn."

Aerith looked up to the sky and saw that Obi-Wan was right. "Whoa, you're right," she murmured as she turned back to the rest. "Guys, let go back."

James pulled his right sleeve up and looked at his silver watch. "Looks like it's time for me to go home, as well," he mused out loud. He turned to Obi-Wan and said, "Well, friend, it was nice chatting with you and your friends again."

"It most certainly was," the knight commented with a smile. "I hope to see you again someday."

"I hope so, too," James said. "See you!" With that, he turned around to head back to his home.

_What a friendly fellow_, the middle-aged man thought with a grin as he walked along the path. Before he entered his home, which was located just on the side of the central plaza, he remembered something. With a slap to his face, he thought with annoyance, _Darn, I forgot to ask him for his name again..._

* * *

><p>"Sorry to keep you guys waiting," Cloud apologized as he, Aerith, and Obi-Wan entered their cozy inn room.<p>

Barret, who was sitting with Tifa on the ground organizing all of the items they "acquired" from different shops of Kalm, turned to the three and brushed off, "Eh, you're cool." With that said, he turned back to his work.

"Who were you guys talking to, anyway?" Tifa asked as she looked up.

"Just an old friend of mine," Obi-Wan answered as he closed the door behind him. "He's the first person I ever talked to when I woke up in this world." The knight then took off his dark brown robe and hung it on one of the chairs.

"Ah, I see," the fighter said with a nod as she grabbed a nearby large, brown travel shoulder bag they "obtained" from an unfortunate weak-minded shopkeeper. The bag was one of the four they were able to get. As she contemplated on how she should put their belongings in the bags, Tifa absentmindedly murmured, "Now, how should I do this?"

"Speaking of which," Aerith began as she looked around the room, "where's Nanaki?"

"He's bathin' in the bathroom," the gun man notified as he inspected some of their newly-acquired Materias. "Dunno how long it's gonna take-"

Right as Barret finished the statement, the bathroom door slowly opened. As Nanaki exited, he noticed Cloud, Aerith, and Obi-Wan. "Oh, you're all here," he said.

"Yeah, sorry we're late," the blond swordsman apologized.

"Not to worry," the red beast said as he walked near the beds and sat on the floor.

The four began to help Tifa and Barret organize the items and equipment they were able to get. While they were packing up, the gun man tried to convince Obi-Wan into officially joining their team; the Jedi simply replied with the same answer he gave him before. The knight was also able to catch several glimpses of Cloud occasionally staring at the man's advanced weapon hanging on his belt.

"You seem very interested in my lightsaber, Cloud," Obi-Wan commented with a grin as he turned to the ex-SOLDIER.

"...Of course I'm interested in it," the blond replied. "And honestly, I still doubt you actually came from another world-"

"Oh, come on, Cloud," the Cetra interrupted with a heavy sigh. "He has that laser sword that cuts through anything. Not to mention, he has cool magic powers called the Force."

"Actually, the Force is not magic power," Obi-Wan quickly corrected. "More specifically, it is an energy field created by all living things. It gives power to the Jedi."

"Exactly," Aerith agreed, although she did not fully understand what Obi-Wan meant. "I mean, you saw what he was able to do, right? He can push things and pull things and throw all the things and blow up things and attract things and do things and all those sorts of things."

"...Eh?" Cloud mumbled as he looked at the flower girl.

"I think what she means is," Tifa began with a shake of her head, "Obi-Wan demonstrated enough other-worldly abilities to support the fact that he came from another world."

Barret and Nanaki nodded in approval as they continued to pack up the bags.

Obi-Wan did appreciate the fact that they believed his story and tried to convince Cloud that it was so, but truly he did not absolutely needed it. The knight was completely fine with the blond simply not minding his company. After all, Obi-Wan was not planning to stay here; he needed to find a way back to his world to help Luke Skywalker.

_I wonder if he found out that Darth Vader was Anakin_, he wondered with concern. _Luke will most definitely not take it well if he learns of it too soon._

"...Whatever," Cloud brushed off as he returned to work. Eventually, the conversation subsided and everyone acted as if the discussion never happened at all.

Thirty minutes later, the bags were fully packed. All of the necessary items, spare clothes, tents, and other equipments were in the bags. They were placed near a wall.

"Finally!" Tifa said as she stretched her arms. "Got them out of the way!"

"I'll be taking a closer look at this later," Obi-Wan announced as he quickly grabbed one of the world maps.

After giving the knight a nod, Cloud slowly stood up and stretched his arms. He then turned to the rest of his team and said, "Looks like we are done for today."

"Hold it," Barret suddenly interrupted as he looked up at the swordsman. "We still need to hear your story."

"...My story?" Cloud asked as he raised his eyebrow.

"You know, the one about Sephiroth and the crisis facing the planet," the gun man clarified as he stood up. "Let's hear it all."

Upon hearing this, the blond turned to the others to see their response. They did not say anything, but they all seemed very interested in this matter.

_...I can't back out of this one_, Cloud realized with a defeated sigh. He looked down at his feet, deep in thought. After saying something inaudible to himself, the swordsman slowly turned to Barret. "...When I was younger, I always wanted to be like Sephiroth, so I joined SOLDIER," Cloud began. "After working with Sephiroth on several missions, we became... friends."

"You call him a _friend_?" Barret asked incredulously.

"...Yes, surprising, isn't it?" the blond commented dryly as he shook his head. He then continued with his story, "He's older than me, and he hardly ever talked about himself. So, I guess you could call him my war buddy, until one day..."

"...One day?" Aerith repeated as the suspense began to irritate her.

Cloud turned away from the others. He took a deep breath and continued, "After the war, it was SOLDIER's duty to put down any resistance against the Shinra... That was five years ago. I was sixteen..."

Thus, the ex-SOLDIER told his story to the team. He told everything he remembered about the mission he and Sephiroth were given, his short but precious reunion with Tifa and his mother, the twisted path Sephiroth turned to when he discovered Professor Gast's studies in the Shinra Mansion, and the destruction of his hometown Nibelheim.

The swordsman continued to the part when he ran to the Mako Reactor Sephiroth went into to save his "mother", Jenova. Just as he said that he pulled out his sword to fight the madman, he abruptly concluded, "...and that's the end of my story."

The rest of the team was silent for a split second, believing that there was more to the story. When the blond's last words sank in, Barret suddenly shouted, "Wait a damn minute! Ain't there more?"

Cloud simply shook his head and said, "I don't remember."

Aerith frowned in confusion and asked, "What happened to Sephiroth?"

"In terms of skill," the swordsman explained as he crossed his arms, "I couldn't have killed him."

"Official records state Sephiroth is dead," Tifa pointed out. "I read it in the newspaper."

"Shinra, Inc. own the newspaper," the flower girl stated as she shook her head, "so you can't really rely on that information."

Cloud silently looked down at his feet, lost in thought. "...It doesn't make any sense," he murmured. "I challenged Sephiroth and lived. Why didn't he kill me?"

"...I'm alive, too," Tifa murmured as she remembered the terrible event that occurred in her hometown.

"Seems like a lot of this doesn't make any sense," Aerith commented with a sigh. "What about Jenova? It was in the Shinra building, right?"

"Shinra shipped it from Nibelheim to Midgar," the blond answered.

"Did someone carry it out after that?" the Cetra asked as she remembered Jenova's cell being empty. "It was not in its cell when we returned to the lab it was in."

"Sephiroth...?" Tifa suggested as she looked at the ground in confusion.

"Damn!" Barret suddenly shouted in frustration. "None of this make sense! I'm goin' out! I need some fresh air!" With that, he swung open the room door and stomped out. "I'm leavin' the thinkin' to you guys!" the burly man added angrily as he walked down the hallway and walked downstairs.

The remaining members stood frozen in the room, unsure of what to do. Eventually, Cloud broke the ice by saying, "...I'll be going out, too. Let me cool off my mind a bit." With that, he walked out of the room.

Aerith, not knowing what to do next, turned to the other remaining three in the room, then to the door. Finally, she ran out of the room as she shouted, "Hey, Cloud! Wait for me!"

Obi-Wan, Nanaki, and Tifa remained standing in the room. After a long silent pause, the red lion commented, "What a fascinating story."

"...It was ...interesting," the fighter commented quietly.

"'Interesting'?" the Jedi inquired about her choice of words. "How is it interesting? You were with Cloud, weren't you?"

"...Well, yes... I..." Tifa mumbled before she tried to avoid answering the question. "What did you think about this, Obi-Wan?"

"Me?" the knight inquired as he stroked his beard. "I thought the story as a whole was quite... vague."

"Vague?" Tifa asked as she turned to the man, her eyes lighting up. "So, you think something's wrong with it?"

"Many details seemed to have been left out," Obi-Wan pointed out. "I doubt the whole story was fabricated, but I can't help but think that there is more to this."

"...I see," the fighter said with an approving nod.

Nanaki turned to the woman and asked, "Well, _did_ Cloud leave out important details?"

"Huh?" Tifa stuttered as she turned to the red lion.

"You were with him," said Obi-Wan. "You should know if his story is completely valid."

"...Err... It is," Tifa quickly answered, trying to end the subject. "Uh, say, didn't you say that you needed to look at the map?"

"Oh right, the map," the Jedi remembered as he unfolded his world map.

* * *

><p>The sun was setting at the horizon, creating a brilliant golden ray of light that continued to illuminate Kalm. The town was still bustling, although it became more empty than usual. Cloud, Barret, and Aerith, however, were just outside the walls of Kalm where it was quiet as a library.<p>

The three were doing nothing in particular. Barret was simply leaning against a wall, carefully inspecting his gun arm. Cloud and Aerith were sitting on the grassy ground, looking at the natural scenery before them.

The Cetra was mesmerized by the scenery. She was not able to take her eyes off the grassy landscape and the golden rays of the sun that added more color to the scene. The flower girl finally opened her mouth and said to Cloud, "It's beautiful, don't you think?"

The swordsman, who was deep in thought, stirred up and asked, "Huh? Sorry, what did you say?"

"This place," Aerith said happily, "it's beautiful, isn't it?"

"It's certainly more refreshing than Midgar," the blond admitted. "But, I don't think it's in the level of _beautiful_."

"Oh, come on," the Cetra huffed in annoyance. "How is this scenery _not_ beautiful?"

Cloud only shrugged and answered, "I don't know. It just doesn't strike me as beautiful. I mean, look at it." He pointed at the sun and continued, "It's just a hunk of gas that shoots out solar flares shining light onto the land."

"...Wow," Aerith sighed in disbelief. "You certainly like to take things literally."

"What? It's true," the blond replied with a smirk.

"You could at least describe it more figuratively," the flower girl stated with a shake of her head.

"Like what?"

"The sun is a shiny spicy meatball that farts out fire."

"...What?"

"It's silent but deadly."

Cloud remained silent for a split second. Eventually, he gave a light chuckle.

Seeing that the swordsman was laughing, Aerith gave a big smile and said, "Looks like that's one point for Aerith."

"Congratulations," Cloud commented as he laughed.

Barret, who noticed the two chatting, looked up from his inspection and shouted with mischief, "Hey, you two! Can you guys tone down the flirtin' a bit?"

Upon hearing this, the blond turned to the gun man and replied with annoyance, "You're so funny, Barret. Did you know that?"

Aerith simply giggled at the comment.

"Whatever," Barret replied with a grin.

Eventually, the group became quiet once more. Barret continued to inspect his weapon and Cloud and Aerith simply observed the scenery before them.

"Cloud," the Cetra began.

"Hmm?"

"Do you think we can do this? Do we have the power to defeat Sephiroth and save the Planet?"

Cloud gave a long sigh and answered honestly, "I'm not sure." He then turned to Aerith and said, "As long as we stick together, though, we just might make it."

The flower girl nodded in response and murmured, "I guess you're right."

Barret then suddenly interrupted the discussion by shouting, "Hey lovebirds, it's getting dark! We should be headin' in, now!" He then quickly entered the town.

"'Lovebirds'?" the swordsman grumbled as his eyes narrowed in annoyance. He was, however, surprised when he turned to see Aerith.

The Cetra was giving him a flirtatious smile. She then leaned closer to him and said, "Lovebirds, huh?"

Cloud quickly backed off as he stood up. "I-I want none of that!" he nervously stuttered. He then began to walk back to Kalm.

"Oh, silly Cloud," Aerith said as she chuckled to herself. She quickly followed the swordsman back to the town.

* * *

><p>"Thank you, Tifa and Nanaki," Obi-Wan said with a grin as he folded up his map. "I have a much better awareness of this world's geography now."<p>

"Anytime," Tifa replied. "Feel free to ask any of us later if you have any questions."

The red lion walked to the window and observed the dimming sky. "It's getting dark," he said as he turned to face the fighter and the knight. "...None of us had much sleep today."

"...Now that you mention it," Tifa murmured before yawning, "I don't think we had _any_ sleep today."

"It has been a troublesome day," Obi-Wan admitted with a nod. "We will need to get enough rest before we resume our journey."

As Tifa and Nanaki nodded in agreement, Barret, Cloud, and Aerith entered the room.

"Did we miss anythin'?" the gun man asked as he crossed his arms.

"Not much," the fighter answered as she shook her head. "We just agreed that we need to sleep early for tomorrow."

"None of us barely had much sleep," the blond swordsman agreed as he smoothed his hair, which only sprung back up in a spiky formation.

"Where do we head next anyway?" Aerith asked as she tapped her chin.

"According to Obi-Wan's pal," Cloud began as he slowly walked to the middle of the room, "Sephiroth began heading south and a closest major city south from here is Junon. Unfortunately, there is a harsh mountain range that is too difficult to traverse through."

"Then what the hell should we do?" Barret grumbled in annoyance.

"There is an entrance of a cave system southeast from here," the swordsman answered, not affected by the gun man's mood. "It leads to the other side of the mountains.

"It will take too long to go to the cave on foot," he continued, "so we'll need to head to a chocobo farm that is east from here and borrow some chocobos."

"We're gonna riding the chocobos?" Aerith asked hopefully.

"...Well, what else do you with chocobos? Of course," Tifa answered.

"Alright!" the Cetra exclaimed as she pumped her fists into the air. "I also wondered what it's like to see one, let alone ride one!"

"When will we resume our chase?" Obi-Wan inquired.

"We'll need to wake up at six in the morning," Cloud answered as he detached his shoulder-piece. "For now, we'll obviously need to rest up."

"Not a bad plan," Barret admitted as he detached his gun arm. As he placed it on the table, he grabbed a key and tossed it to Tifa. "Here's the key to the room right in front of this one."

"Thanks," the female fighter said as she caught the key. She then turned to Aerith and said, "Let's go, shall we?"

"We shall, captain," the Cetra happily replied as the two left the room.

"I'll be cleanin' myself," the gun man stated as he entered the bathroom. "I'll be done in thirty or forty minutes, so keep your pants and shirts on till then, alright?" With that, he closed the bathroom door.

Cloud and Obi-Wan looked around the room and discovered that it became rather quiet save for the noise of running water coming from the bathroom. Awkward silence filled the air as the two kept their mouths shut. They also discovered that Nanaki was already sleeping next to the window.

"...Well," the blond swordsman began as he scratched his head, "I guess we should wait until Barret finishes."

"I concur," the Jedi answered back as he stroked his beard. As he observed the Buster Sword that rested on the wall, the knight stated, "I must say, that weapon of yours looks rather interesting."

"...You like what you're seeing?" Cloud asked as he grabbed the Buster Sword. "Not sure if I already told you, but it's... a weapon I used ever since I joined SOLDIER."

"It looks rather heavy," Obi-Wan commented.

"It's not that heavy," the swordsman stated he examined the blade. "Well, not to me, at least."

"Actually, do you mind if I take a look at it?"

"No," Cloud answered as he handed the knight his weapon.

The Jedi carefully held the Buster Sword. He took a step from the blond and made a small vertical swing.

"What do you think?" Cloud asked as he crossed his arms.

"Not a bad weapon at all," Obi-Wan answered with a smile as he felt the blade of the sword. "This sword is not made with ordinary metal," he noted as he carefully felt and observed the weapon.

"That is no ordinary weapon," the blond agreed with a nod.

"In fact," the Jedi continued, "I'm not sure if my lightsaber can cut through this blade."

"...Really?" Cloud asked as his eyes lit up. With a smirk, he said, "Well, I knew this blade was special, but I wasn't aware that it was strong enough to resist the power of a lightsaber."

"Would you like to test it out?" Obi-Wan asked as he pulled out his weapon.

"...No," the blond swordsman answered with a slight grim look.

* * *

><p>An hour passed and the sun eventually set. The shopkeepers closed their shops, but the bar was still open and full of jaunty people cheering and drinking. The folks in the plaza said their goodbyes to their friends as they ended their chat to return home. The workers quickly packed up their belongings to rest up in their homes and get prepared to work for another day.<p>

The town square eventually became silent and deserted. The town was illuminated only by the light that was shining through the windows of the houses and the bar and the moon that shone brightly in the night sky.

Barret, Cloud, and Obi-Wan were lying on their own beds while Nanaki was fast asleep next to the window. Barret was in the left-most bed that was farthest from the window. Cloud was in the middle bed. Obi-Wan was in the right bed that was closest to the window. However, sleep did not overtake the remaining three immediately.

The gun man stared distantly at the ceiling. With a sigh, he muttered, "Today was a long day..."

"It definitely was," the Jedi agreed with a nod, his eyes remaining shut.

"...And we have another long day tomorrow," Barret grumbled as he shifted in his bed.

"True," the knight acknowledged.

"...But I can't get to sleep," the gun man groaned as he shifted uncomfortably.

Annoyed by the bickering, Cloud said, "An easy way to sleep is to close your eyes and-"

"I know how to sleep, you doofus," Barret raised his voice in annoyance as he turned to face the swordsman next to him. "It's your damn Mako eyes that are lightin' this whole place up."

As the burly man complained, the whole room was dimly lit with an aqua-green light that was coming from Cloud's eyes. This distraction kept Barret awake.

"It's not even that bright," the blond snapped back. "Be quiet and try to sleep."

"Hey, not all of us have shinin' eyes like you!" Barret nearly shouted.

"Hey," Obi-Wan interrupted as he turned to the two with an annoyed look, "I can't sleep with the two of you arguing. You two might wake Nanaki up, as well."

The gun man lowered his voice, but he ranted, "I can't sleep with Mr. Spike's night-light vision on." He then turned back to the blond and continued, "The hell's so hard about closin' your eyes, anyway?"

"...I'm thinking about something, okay?" Cloud grudgingly admitted.

Eventually, Nanaki woke up due to the ruckus. After yawning, he looked up to Obi-Wan, who was facing away from him, and asked tiredly, "What is all this fuss about?"

The three turned to the red lion, who now stood up with an exhausted look. Barret dropped his face into his good hand and grumbled, "Great... Now he's awake,"

Obi-Wan said to Nanaki calmly, "Nothing's wrong. There was just a small argument regarding eyes."

"Oh," Nanaki mumbled with a confused expression, "I see. It's a strange subject to argue about, but at least nothing is wrong."

"Argh, screw this!" Barret grumbled as he sat up from his bed. "I'm gonna see if I can sleep outside."

"Forget it," Cloud snapped back as he got off of his bed and stood up. "I'll stay outside for a while. I can't sleep right now anyway." With that, he quickly exited the room, clearly irked by this argument.

The three that remained in the room simply stared at the closed door. Obi-Wan stroked his beard with concern as he commented, "...That was abrupt."

Nanaki turned to the other two and asked, "I doubt a simple argument regarding eyes would make him that furious."

"Whatever," Barret grumbled as he lay back down. "It's finally dark enough to actually get some sleep." Within a minute, the gun man was fast asleep.

The red lion turned to the Jedi and asked, "Do you think we should pay Cloud a visit?"

"It shouldn't be necessary," Obi-Wan answered as he lay back down. "Barret was being a bit harsh, but Cloud is old enough to get over it."

"I suppose," Nanaki said with a nod before returning back to his spot.

Eventually, the other two went to sleep.

And once again, Obi-Wan was greeted by a familiar strange voice in his dream. The voice repeated the words "Obi-Wan Kenobi" and "Jedi Knight", but the auburn-haired man was not able to get anything more out of the speaker.

The Jedi was, however, still concerned for the safety of Luke Skywalker. He wondered if the Death Star still terrorized the galaxy. He wondered if the rebels were still fighting the empire. He even wondered if Luke and his friends were able to make it out of the Death Star alive.

Obi-Wan felt powerless.

* * *

><p>In the room at the other side of the hallway, Tifa and Aerith were in their own beds. Aerith was already sleeping, snoring very softly. Tifa, however, was wide awake, deeply concerned about the story she and the others heard from Cloud earlier.<p>

_I just don't get it_, the female fighter thought. _He wasn't there when... that... happened. Why would he lie about it?_

As she lightly bit her finger, she continued to think, _What are you hiding from us, Cloud? And why are you hiding it?_

Tifa shut her eyes, trying to dispel her thoughts. She then turned to the woman sleeping in the bed next to hers. _She's so lucky to sleep so peacefully_, Tifa thought as she looked at Aerith.

Before she tried to turn away, the Cetra suddenly mumbled, "_Whoa... whoa..._"

_...What the...?_ Tifa thought. _Is she awake?_

"_...Wow... clones..._" Aerith continued to mumble. "_Clones... everywhere..._"

_She must be dreaming_, the fighter thought with an amused smile.

"_...Uh...oh... Droids... Everywhere..._" the Cetra mumbled as she shifted in her bed. "_Not... good... Take...cover..._"

Much to Tifa's surprise, Aerith slowly sat up. Although it was dark, the fighter was able to see that the flower girl was waving her hands around.

_This is... kinda creepy_, Tifa thought as she continued to look at the woman.

To add to the shock, Aerith slowly got out of her bed and stood up. She then began slowly walked towards Tifa.

"A-Aerith?" the fighter meekly mumbled as a sudden chill was sent through her spine. She remained unable to move as the flower girl continued to walk to her.

Aerith reached out for Tifa, who remained frozen and wide-eyed. Then, the flower girl grabbed Tifa's blanket and began to drag it away.

..._Wha...?_ Tifa thought in surprise as she continued to look at the Cetra, who was dragging her blanket as she walked to her bed. Aerith then slowly lay on her bed as she pulled two covers over herself.

"_Yes..._" the Cetra mumbled in her sleep. "_Now... I'm... safe ..._" She then inhaled deeply and let out, "_Aaaaaaaaah_."

Aerith snored loudly, and then slept quietly.

Tifa remained silent as she stared at the flower girl. It took her several minutes to realize that Aerith just stole her blanket, and now, Tifa was lying on her bed without any cover.

..._That was weird_, the fighter mused as she stood up. She then quietly and slowly pulled her cover from Aerith's grasp. The fighter then took went back to her bed and pulled the cover over herself.

_...Now, it's time to sleep_, Tifa thought as she slowly closed her eyes.

"_Noooo..._" Aerith suddenly mumbled in her sleep again, "_Droids... are... back..._"

_...Oh no, not again_, Tifa grumbled to herself as she tightly grabbed onto her covers.

Instead of stealing the fighter's cover, however, the Cetra began to slowly move Tifa's bed out of its normal position. The frightened and annoyed Tifa, not wanting to wake the flower girl up, pulled her cover over her head.

"_Yaaaaaaaaaaaay..._" Aerith, who was still sleeping, mumbled happily as she pushed Tifa's bed.

_This is gonna be a long night_, Tifa groaned as she shut her eyes.

* * *

><p><strong>AN : I decided to go against my personal "No author's note" policy because I won't be updating this frequently.**

**Sorry for the huge delay for this chapter. I won't be surprised if my usual readers aren't following this story anymore. It's my fault, to be honest. It was my first semester in the university and I did not know how to manage my time for this at all. I was actually working on this chapter for quite a while now, but, again, I failed to manage my time which led to a series of delays.**

**So, once again, my apologies for not updating this. I have better plans for the next semester, so don't worry so much XD.**

**Also, if you want to keep in touch with my progress, you can always check my profile page. I've been updating it about once or twice a month; I'll try to update it more frequently from now on.**

**As always, thanks for reading. **


	11. To Chase Sephiroth

"_**I went camping for 33 days, and now everybody seems to care."**_

**FORGE THE PATH**

**Chapter XI : To Chase Sephiroth**

Night passed quickly as the moon disappeared from view. The sun rose from the horizon as it greeted the morning. Some townspeople already woke up to begin their day.

Cloud and his team gathered in front of the entrance of Kalm. Tifa had a slight back ache due to the rough night she had. When she woke up, she found herself lying on the ground curled up while Aerith was sleeping on two beds, which were somehow put right next to each other.

Nanaki was also partially groggy due to waking up in the middle of his sleep. Other than that, he was in a decent condition.

Aerith felt reenergized for the day. She had an adventurous dream about the Clone Wars, which she enjoyed very much. _Not that war is a good thing_, the Cetra reminded herself sternly, but she always found herself becoming excited when she thought about it.

Barret, Obi-Wan, and Cloud were carrying the large bags of equipments and essentials. The gun man inspected his mechanical arm, looking for anything that might be out of place. Obi-Wan studied the newly acquired Mythril Armlet on his right wrist. In one of its linked Materia slots was a single Ice Materia.

The burly man turned to the Jedi and asked, "So, first time ever usin' Materia?"

"Yes," the knight answered as he observed the small blue marble in his armlet. "It is about time, too."

"You think you can use it?" Cloud asked as he placed his sword and the bag on the ground. He was pondering how he should carry the two items.

"Yes, I think I can manage it," Obi-Wan said with a smile. "Your tutorial was very helpful."

"Just try not to freeze my face again," the swordsman warned as he tied the Buster Sword to the bag. He then turned to the others and announced, "Before we head to the Chocobo Farm, Barret is going to be handing out a PHS to each of you."

Barret walked to every member of the party and gave out a folding cellphone. When the gun man went to Nanaki, however, the red lion only shook his head.

"I have no need for that device," Nanaki said.

Barret, however, persisted and said, "Look, man. You'll need this in case we-"

"There is no way I can carry it and speak into it," the red lion interjected.

"...Oh, right," the gun man sheepishly mumbled as he scratched his head. "Well, I guess we'll be havin' one extra."

As everyone (excluding Nanaki) received their PHS, the party finally began their chase for Sephiroth.

* * *

><p>The party trekked through the hilly grasslands that seemed to continue for miles. The cool wind gently blew across the land as the sun shone brightly in the blue sky.<p>

During the trip, the party was encountered by animals and monsters, which ranged from hostile wild cats to deranged ostrich-like birds. Cloud sliced through the fiends and used his "thunder" Materia with no problem while Barret gunned them down and burned them with his "fire" Materia. Tifa demonstrated her prowess by using martial arts to take down their enemies as Nanaki simply mauled them. Obi-Wan, with his lightsaber, cut the fiends down with ease as Aerith used her "poison" Materia to take down the remaining enemies.

Despite Aerith's constant reminders to use his "ice" Materia, Obi-Wan always found himself using his lightsaber. This was because the usage of Materia still felt awkward to the Jedi. He found that using Materia was not quite the same as using the Force. There were similarities, but the knight thought that it was going to take a bit of time to get used to using magic.

At one point in the trip, the Cetra casted a strange magic on everyone in the team. It was a cool refreshing breeze that instantly healed them from their battle wounds. It was not Materia magic; everyone regarded it as the "Ancient's magic". Obi-Wan was especially curious about this.

_Not only am I able to sense Aerith's presence through the Force_, Obi-Wan mused with interest, _but she is also able to heal us with magic without using any Materia? _The Jedi took note of this detail.

Soon, after four hours of walking and fighting off fiends, the team stopped by a gorge next to a steep mountain to take a short break. During the break, they ate their lunch: some dry bread. Nanaki was unsatisfied with the food, so he decided to hunt some rabbits near the resting site.

After everyone finished their lunch, the group decided to rest for half an hour before they resume their journey. As Obi-Wan drank from his cup of water, he stared at the Ice Materia in his armlet, which was resting on a rock right next to him. _This is good time to practice using my Materia_, the Jedi Knight thought to himself as he grabbed his armlet. He then told to the rest of the group, who were just spending their free time chatting, "I'll be practicing a bit."

Barret lifted his eyebrow. "Practicin' on what, exactly?" he asked. The others turned to the knight as well.

"Using my Materia," Obi-Wan answered as he lifted his mythril armlet. "I don't want to freeze Cloud's face by mistake again."

Cloud hissed in annoyance as he remembered that moment. "It was an unpleasant experience, to say the least," he grumbled. "Do you think you'll be good on your own?"

"Thank you for the concern," the Jedi replied, "but I'll be fine. In fact, I think it will be better for your health if you stay a good distance from me."

The blond nodded grimly as he commented, "You got a point."

With that, Obi-Wan walked about twenty meters away from the AVALANCHE team with the Materia-equipped armlet and a cup of water.

As the Jedi began to train on using his Materia, Aerith began, "So, all of our numbers are saved on our phones, right?"

Tifa nodded and answered, "That's right. All you need to do is go into the contact list and select any of our names."

The flower girl nodded, but continued to ask as she opened her PHS. "I kinda forgot how to enter the contact list with this..."

"Oh, it's not that difficult," the fighter answered again. "All you have to do is click on this button... and click this button..." Tifa continued to explain to Aerith how to use the cellular phone by demonstrating some of its functions. As she did, the Cetra did her best on following her friend's lessons.

While Tifa was giving Aerith several lessons on using the cell phone, Cloud, Barret, and Nanaki discussed about their plans.

"The hell we're supposed find that Sapphire guy, anyway?" Barret asked as he scratched his chin.

Cloud calmly answered, "First of all, it's 'Sephiroth'. Second, I honestly don't know where he is right now."

Nanaki shook his head and inquired, "Are we completely relying on luck on this? If we make a mistake, we'll end up wasting our precious time."

The swordsman answered again, "We do know for sure that Sephiroth traveled to the cave system beyond our path. So, we'll go to the chocobo farm first-"

The gun man interrupted in annoyance, "Why are we goin' to the chocobo farm anyway? That's like near the coast of the damn continent. Wouldn't it be faster to just go to the caves instead of vistin' the farm?"

The ex-SOLDIER shook his head and said, "It's not only the distance and time I'm worried about. You see, a large marshland is surrounding the entrance to the cave."

The red lion squinted and asked, "A marshland?"

Barret retorted, "The hell's so bad about a marshland? Sure, it'll be wet, hot, and annoyin' in there, but that's pretty much it, isn't it? It's totally not worth going all the way to the farm."

"Shut up and let me finish," the annoyed Cloud snapped back. "The marshland is dangerous. A giant, dangerous snake dwells in there, attacking any people in sight."

The burly man, interested in this snake, asked, "How big is this thing?"

The blond thought for a moment and then answered, "It stands about three or four stories high, if I recall correctly."

"...Damn," Barret let out as he pictured a giant-sized snake attacking random people.

"On top of that," Cloud continued, "it can cast a powerful fire-based magic."

Nanaki commented, "Certainly, it would be best to avoid engaging this powerful foe."

The blond nodded and said, "Fortunately, a chocobo is fast enough to outrun this monster. That's why we should go to the chocobo farm before we even think about crossing the marsh."

The gun man though about this situation. Then, he let out a sigh of defeat and said, "...Alright, fine, Spikey. You got a point... Just wonderin' though, where'd you get this info?"

The swordsman shrugged indifferently and answered, "Newspaper."

"Ah..." Barret mumbled as he nodded.

"We better tell this to the others," Nanaki said as he scratched his nose.

"We should," Cloud agreed as he stood up. "I'll go now and-"

The blond failed to finish his sentence, for his head was suddenly encased in a cold, glassy, transparent rock. Cloud stumbled around as he grabbed on the glassy rock that covered his whole head. It felt very cold and hard.

It was ice.

"The hell?!" Barret nearly shrieked in shock as he saw the state Cloud was in.

Tifa, who noticed her childhood friend stumbling sideways and losing balance, jumped up and shouted, "Cloud! Are you okay?"

Aerith realized that the blond's head was encased in ice. "Tifa, I don't think you should ask questions when you know the answers to them," she commented. For some reason, the flower girl found the scene to be... funny. Nevertheless, she suppressed the laughter that was about to emerge from her throat.

Barret, however, did not care about being concerned and bursted out laughing. "Ha ha ha ha ha! Looks like Obi-Wan is at it again!"

The female fighter glared at the gun man and hissed, "How can you be _laughing_ about this?!"

"Hey, it's funny!" Barret commented as he continued to laugh.

Nanaki, unlike Barret, stood up and quickly walked to Tifa and the struggling Cloud to help.

Aerith also went to help the unfortunate swordsman. Although she was successfully holding back her laughter, she was not able to hide her wide grin.

Unfortunately for her, Tifa noticed her face.

"Aerith!" the fighter nearly screamed. "_You_ think this if funny, too?!"

The flower girl, still holding back her laughter, answered, "Hey, it's kinda funny. I mean, it's not like you see people freezing faces every-"

The Cetra suddenly felt something heavy pull her ponytail down, causing her to fall to the ground. Dazed and confused, Aerith tried to lift herself up. She failed to do so, and she felt something rock hard underneath her head. Something cold and hard. Then, to her horror, she realized.

Her hair was frozen solid.

"OBI!" the scared and furious Aerith shouted. "STOP!"

* * *

><p>Obi-Wan felt very uncomfortable sitting on a rock. No, it was not that sitting on a rock was uncomfortable for him. It was the fact that two very angry people sitting across him that was making him uncomfortable.<p>

Both the heads of Cloud and Aerith were completely drenched. (Obi-Wan found it amusing that Cloud's hair still stood up in all directions). The blond looked like he was ready to punch the Jedi Knight in the face. The Cetra looked like she was ready to pull off the "Staff Incident" on the auburn-haired man. Needless to say, both looked furious.

"...Well?" Cloud began angrily as he expected some response from the Jedi.

The knight sheepishly stroked his beard as he took in a deep breath. Then, he asked, "Would you be surprised if I said that it was a mistake?"

It was Aerith's turn to speak. "_Mistake_?! How can it be a _mistake_?! You literally froze our heads."

The blond shook his head and said, "You must think you're funny, right?"

Barret, who was not fond of tense moments like this, commented, "Actually, it was kinda-"

Tifa turned to the gun man and calmly said, "_Barret_?"

Feeling a cold chill run down his spine, Barret quickly apologized, "Sorry."

Cloud and Aerith then furiously ranted about the situation, mentioning about the wrongs of freezing faces.

Obi-Wan was truly sorry for accidentally freezing their faces, but he grew slightly annoyed with this "scolding". The whole discussion took ten minutes to end.

Needless to say, the Jedi did not want to get chastised for this ever again.

* * *

><p>It was slightly past high noon when the party resumed their journey several minutes later. Cloud continued to lead the way as the team walked across the green hills. On the party's right, tall mountains stood in the horizon while the hills covered the land in front of them.<p>

Cloud observed the view before pulling out a map. As the swordsman studied it, he announced to his team, "We won't be arriving at the farm anytime soon. It'll take about a day and a half at the least."

As Barret looked at the hills, he said, "I'm not sure if it's safe to pitch the tents on a hill."

Tifa shook her head and stated, "It shouldn't be a problem, really."

Nanaki, however, showed concern. "Actually, there could be some problems."

"There are?" the fighter asked as she turned to the red lion.

Obi-Wan shook his head and answered for Nanaki, "Fiends and monsters could be anywhere. There is a possibility that we might get attacked while we sleep."

"...Oh," Tifa murmured as she scratched her head.

The blond, however, turned to his team and announced, "We'll have to spend a night on the hills. Any other routes would take too long."

Aerith clapped her hands together and commented, "Talk about living your life on the edge."

The Jedi tapped his chin as he suggested, "Perhaps everyone should take turns and protect our camp overnight."

The red lion nodded in agreement. "I second that," he said. "I suggest we have two people standing on watch every two or three hours on each turn."

The knight, however, said, "I don't mind staying up all night. In fact, I'm perfectly fine with standing on watch on my own."

Barret eyed the Jedi with concern before asking, "Really? You okay with not sleeping?"

"I appreciate your concern," Obi-Wan answered with a smile, "but I'll be fine."

The gun man nodded. "Alright, man. But, I still think another person should help you."

As the blond heard the conversation, Cloud proposed, "How about we have one person take turns on watch while Obi-Wan guards the camp for the whole night? It would be simple that way."

Tifa, after thinking about the plan, however, disagreed. "It would be hard for the person waking up right in the middle of dawn. That person will be absolutely exhausted for the next day."

The blond swordsman shook his head as he tried to form an alternative plan. "We should have planned this earlier," he said mostly to himself.

As the team continued to think about this matter, Aerith squinted at the sun in the sky. The sun already passed a good distance from the highest point of the sky. The flower girl then took out her PHS. She saw on the front screen that it was already 3:27 P.M. "Guys," she called out as she turned to the rest of the team, "it's already 3:27. Not trying to rude, but I don't think we should be wasting any more time."

Obi-Wan picked up his bag and said, "Good point, Aerith. I say we just move on for now and think about this after the sun sets." He then turned to Cloud and asked, "We _are_ going to set up the camp in the hills, correct?"

Cloud simply nodded and answered, "Yes."

"Then let's move on for now," the Jedi commented. "Lead the way."

The team walked on through the rolling green hills for hours. The nice weather and the cool breeze made the trip rather pleasant. Although, Cloud did find it strange that very little amount of fiends attacked them. The whole trip was a lot more peaceful than he thought it would be.

_Must be dumb luck_, the blond brushed off with a shrug, as he continued to.

"You are a fool to think so."

Cloud turned around to his team and asked, "Sorry?" _I must've spoken that out loud_.

Everyone else turned to their leader when the swordsman asked the question. The Jedi raised his eyebrow and answered, "None of us said anything."

The ex-SOLDIER shook his head and commented with certainty, "I didn't catch the sentence, but someone definitely said something."

The group members then turned to each other, confused by what their leader is saying. Finally, Tifa turned back to Cloud and revealed, "None of us said anything, Cloud."

Barret raised his eyebrow and asked the blond, "You okay or somethin'? You sure you're not hearing things?"

When it seemed clear to Cloud that none of them actually said anything to him, the swordsman simply answered, "Nothing's wrong. I must have misheard something." After receiving confused looks from his teammates, he resumed the journey and began to lead the way once more.

_...I know I heard something_, Cloud thought to himself as he rubbed his temples. Then, he brushed it off and thought, _...Whatever. Maybe I did mishear something_.

Another hour later, the group saw a lone farm in the horizon. Cloud assumed that it would take another four to six hours to get there. However, the sun began to set behind them. The sky turned orange and the land slowly grew dark. Night was approaching.

Cloud raised his hand and stopped his group. He then turned to his team and announced, "We'll be resting here for tonight. Let's pitch our tents first."

Aerith happily exclaimed, "Alright! Campout time!"

The swordsman, the gun man, and the Jedi all dropped their bags simultaneously. Barret looked up from his bag and asked, "How many tents do we have again?"

Cloud answered without looking up, "Three. One for each bag." The ex-SOLDIER dug through the bag and pulled out a square-shaped green bag, which had a size of a small book, with a zipper on one side.

Obi-Wan pulled the green bag out of his bag. He unzipped it and pulled out its content: a folded piece of thick fabric. The Jedi felt the sides of the square-shaped folded fabric, and he noticed that cylindrical pieces of metal were in them. The knight assumed that it was a tent, but he had no idea on how to use it.

Barret also looked clueless when he pulled out the square object from his bag. "Is this the tent?"

Cloud nodded as he answered, "Yes." He then grabbed on one side of the square object and gave it a shake. The ex-SOLDIER then tossed it on the ground.

The rest of the team watched with great interest as the dark green square object untangled itself as it quickly grew in size. It almost looked as if it disassembling itself. In the end, the tent took shape of a large dome-shaped shelter.

The whole group looked very interested to say the least. Obi-Wan and Nanaki gave a nod of approval at the tent's technological features. Barret's eyes simply widened. Tifa said to herself, "Quite interesting." Aerith simply mumbled, "Whoa."

The blond smirked as he looked at the amazed group. He then turned to the Jedi and the gun man and instructed, "All you have to do is give it a little shake and throw it on the ground. Then, the tent will do the rest."

Both men followed their leader's instructions. The tents did, in fact, untangled itself and took form of a dome.

Obi-Wan crossed his arms and admitted, "Well, that was certainly easier than I expected."

After Barret set up his tent, everyone sat on the ground in a circle to make plans for the night.

Nanaki began the discussion. "So, what are we going to do now?"

The gun man scratched his chin before saying, "We can discuss about the night watch. We still haven't decided how to do that."

Tifa then suggested, "Or, we can discuss about that while we eat."

Aerith commented as she twiddled with her braided hair, "Now that you mention it, we gotta eat dinner now. And I just realized that I'm kinda hungry."

Cloud nodded as he stood up. "We'll have to get the campfire going," he said. He then turned to the Jedi and said, "The food and the cooking equipments should be in your bag, Obi-Wan."

Obi-Wan nodded and answered, "Got it." He then pulled his traveling bag towards him and looked through its content. "Let's see here," he mumbled as he began to pull out a large sky blue pot with a handle on it. "Here's a pot," he said as he placed it on it ground.

Barret commented, "No duh."

The knight ignored the comment and continued to pull out other equipments. "This one looks like a cooking grid," he said as he pulled out a large, square-shaped cooking grid which was in a red box inside the bag.

Tifa tapped her chin and said, "That's actually a really nice equipment."

Obi-Wan then pulled out a frying pan. "This is all the cooking equipment we had in my bag. Now, let me look for some food." The Jedi extracted three bags of white bread (which was surprisingly in a good condition), eight cans of ham, five bags of mixed vegetables, and two packs of sliced cheese.

The Jedi smirked as he saw the selections. "Who chose to get these?"

Cloud frowned in annoyance as he answered, "Me. You got a problem?"

"No," Obi-Wan said with a chuckle. "It's just... a bit difficult to imagine you shopping in the grocery store for some reason."

Aerith tapped her chin in thought as she mumbled to herself, "Cloud in the grocery store...?" She then chuckled after saying, "Oh, goodness. I imagined it."

Barret and Tifa laughed as well as they imagined such a scene. Nanaki, however, simply yawned.

The ex-SOLDIER groaned as he buried his face into the palm of his hand. "You really have a gift of making fun of someone, Obi-Wan," he grumbled as he glared at the Jedi Knight.

"Please, Cloud, you flatter me," the Jedi joked with a smirk.

* * *

><p>For dinner, the team ate some bread and ham with cheese on them. They cooked the food using a campfire Cloud made with a Fire Materia. Nothing special was added to it. Nevertheless, everyone had a good fill. Obi-Wan put the untouched food cans back into his bag.<p>

Cleaning the cooking equipment proved to be a bit harder than everyone had thought. Because there was no river or stream nearby, they had to use some of their Materia magic. The group planned on using the Ice Materia to create ice on the cooking equipments and melt the ice using the campfire. So, Obi-Wan took this chance to practice on using his Ice Materia, much to Cloud's and Aerith's dismay. Thankfully, the Jedi successfully created a chunk of ice on the cooking equipment without freezing anyone's face.

Cloud eyed the cooking utensils carefully and decided, "We'll have to properly clean these when we reach the next town."

The team, after a quick discussion, decided to test out the night watch system they quickly made. For the night, it was decided that Obi-Wan will stay up all night and the rest of the team will take turns on the watch. The first to stay on watch with the Jedi was Barret, then Nanaki, then Cloud, then Tifa, and finally Aerith. Each person would stay up for about an hour and a half to about two hours.

Since there were three tents, some people had to sleep together. Tifa and Aerith decided to use one tent. Nanaki declined the offer of using the tent before falling asleep near one of the tents. Thus, Barret chose to sleep in one tent while Cloud decided to sleep alone in another tent.

Obi-Wan raised his eyebrow as he looked at the gun man and the swordsman. "That's very ungentlemanly of you two," he said with disappointment. "Why don't one of you yield your tent to Tifa or Aerith?"

Aerith, however, interjected excitedly. "No no no," she quickly said with a large smile. "There's no need for that, Obi. In fact, I'm rather excited about sleeping in a tent with Tifa."

The three men turned to the flower girl. The gun man asked, "You sure about that?"

The Cetra nodded happily as she pulled Tifa next to her. "Both of us are fine with that. Right, Tifa?"

Tifa, who was confused by Aerith suddenly pulling her, looked at Obi-Wan, Cloud, and Barret turned to her. The female fighter stuttered, "Oh...uh... Yes... Yeah. Definitely. I don't mind."

The gun man nodded with a smile. "Alright. Seems fair to me," he said as he turned to the Jedi. "I would NOT have any problems with sleepin' with Spikey over here if it weren't for his damn _shining eyes_. I can't sleep with the damn lights on."

Cloud, annoyed by the comments made by Barret, turned to the gun man and hissed, "Will you stop being such a baby about-" The blond just stopped himself as he closed his eyes. "You know what? Forget it. I'm not even sure why I'm arguing with you."

The burly man grumbled as he walked past the blond. "Have it your way, Spikey. Now go get some sleep before it's your turn."

The swordsman quietly walked into his tent to get some rest. Nanaki, who was sleeping next to the tent Cloud entered, groggily looked around before going back to sleep.

At that moment, Aerith and Tifa also went in before they wished both Obi-Wan and Barret good luck. With that, only the gun man and the Jedi remained outside with the camp fire to keep them warm company.

Quiet were the green hills. Occasionally, some crickets chirped and played the night music. Other than that, there were no sounds.

Barret turned to the Jedi with a small smile. "You sure you okay with stayin' up all night?" he asked.

"Don't worry," Obi-Wan answered as he sat down on the ground, looking at the campfire. "I've done this many times."

"That's cool," the burly man commented as he sat down to watch the campfire, as well.

The two silently watched the fire burn on. The way the fire sprouted from the ground and danced in the air was almost mesmerizing at this time of the hour. It was almost entertaining.

_Almost_, the gun man thought with a smirk. He then turned to the Jedi, who seemed to be absorbed by the little show of the campfire, and asked, "Hey, Obi-Wan-"

"If it's about joining your team-" the Jedi answered without breaking his sight on the fire.

"No, it's not that," Barret interjected. "I already know the answer to that, anyway." He took a deep breath and looked at the sky. It was slightly starry; the gun man was sure more stars would be visible if the campfire was put out. "How's it like in your world?" he asked, not knowing exactly where that question came from.

"...My world?" Obi-Wan asked back as he turned to the burly man.

"I dunno, man," Barret grumbled. "I'm bored outta my mind. I felt like I needed to ask _something_."

The knight chuckled as he took off his dark brown robe. "To be honest," he began, "there are too many things to describe about my world." He looked at the stars of the sky and continued, "I would say it is more... vast... than your world."

"Vast?" the gun man repeated as he looked at the sky.

"Well, for starters, you can travel in space."

"You mentioned that," Barret recalled, remembering the story Obi-Wan told to him and the rest. "I can't believe I actually believed you, honestly."

"You were certainly quicker to believe than Cloud," Obi-Wan said dryly, a smirk forming on his face.

The gun man nodded in agreement. Then, he looked around at the environment before asking, "Don't you think we should at least walk around the camp to keep a better eye out?"

"No need, friend," Obi-Wan said as he turned back to the fire. "I'm more alert than you think. If there's anything strange, I'll notice it."

"Oh," Barret said with a sigh of relief. "That's good stuff."

The two silently stared at the fire before them, once again strangely drawn to the source of the light. Then, the gun man turned to the Jedi and asked, "Say, do you have a family back at your world?"

The Jedi's expression changed to that of a confused look. "Family?" Obi-Wan asked as he turned to his watch partner.

"Yeah, family," Barret repeated with a nod. "For example, I got my daughter Marlene."

The knight paused for a moment and answered, "Yes, I have one. Although, it has been a long while since the last time I talked with them."

"...Oh," the gun man mumbled as he looked down. "Sorry 'bout that."

"It's fine," Obi-Wan brushed off. "It's not really a big concern of mine."

During their night watch, Obi-Wan and Barret continued the conversation. Most of the subjects were not very important, but the two kept each other entertained and were able to open up to each other more. The Jedi was actually glad that he had the opportunity to have this rather pleasant time with Barret.

Two hours passed like grains of sand slipping through the gaps between the fingers. Soon afterward, Nanaki woke up for his turn. The red lion slowly stood up and stretched its back.

Barret noticed the beast and said, "Looks like it's your turn, Nanaki."

The red lion yawned and answered, "I am aware that, Barret." He then slowly walked to the two and said to Barret, "Get a good night sleep. You'll need it for tomorrow."

"Alright, man. Thanks," the gun man commented as he stood up. As he walked to his tent, he looked at the red lion and said, "But seriously, though. Lighten up, man." With that, the man disappeared into his tent.

Obi-Wan turned to his new partner. "Had a good two-hour sleep, Nanaki?" he asked with a smile.

"You could say that," Nanaki answered as he sat up and looked at the fire. "Aren't we supposed to walk around the camp?"

"No need for that," the knight said. "With the Force, I'm able to sense approaching danger. So far, there were no signs of it."

"That is good to hear," the red lion said calmly. "What have you been doing for the past two hours, then?"

"I've been chatting with Barret while observing this fire."

"I see."

The two, finding nothing particularly better to do, looked at the fire. Due to the rest of the area being dark, the only entertaining thing to look at were the dancing flames.

"Nanaki," Obi-Wan began as he turned to the beast next to him.

"Yes?" the red lion asked as he faced the Jedi.

"If you don't mind me asking, how have you been captured?"

Nanaki sniffed when he heard the question. It was not difficult for Obi-Wan to notice the look of concern on the beast's face.

"My apologies," the Jedi quickly apologized. "I should not have asked."

"There is no need for that," Nanaki said. He then proceeded to answer the Jedi's question. "Several Turks came to my canyon to capture one of my kind. I wanted to prove my worth as a warrior, so I challenged them to a fight." The beast took a deep breath as he recalled the time before continuing, "Unfortunately, I was not strong enough. They defeated me and brought me to the laboratories of Shinra. Oddly, the scientists did not do much to me. I was only fed to be kept alive. I do not remember how long I stayed there. But much later, we met, and you attempted to rescue me."

"Ah, I see," Obi-Wan mumbled with a nod. "Well, I'm glad they didn't hurt you."

Nanaki nodded before looking up at the sky. The red lion then asked, "Obi-Wan?"

"Hmm?" the Jedi mumbled as he turned to the beast.

"When you do find a way to go back home," Nanaki began, "what are you going to do when you return to your world?"

"Well," the Jedi said with a sigh, "I plan on finding Luke and take him to my master."

"Your master?" the red lion asked.

"I have a master who is also in hiding," the knight explained. "His name is Yoda. He is one of the wisest and strongest fighter I have ever met."

"...Hmm," Nanaki mumbled as he thought, "I wonder how big he is."

When the Jedi heard this, he chuckled to himself.

"Is something wrong?" the beast asked.

"No, nothing is wrong. It's just that, Master Yoda is actually very short. He is also very old."

"...Oh," the red lion grumbled.

"'Size matters not' he always reminded," Obi-Wan said with a smile. "It is a saying that we must always remember."

"'Size matters not'?" Nanaki repeated as he scratched his nose with a sigh. "...I'll do best to remember that."

The two continued to talk for another hour and a half. Obi-Wan thought that this was actually pretty fun.

Almost as if he was timing this, Cloud emerged from his tent when an hour and thirty minutes passed. He put on his boots before walking up to the two in front of the camp fire.

The blond cleared his throat before saying to Nanaki, "It's my turn now. You should rest up."

Confused, the red lion looked up at the blond before asking, "Already? That was certainly fast." He then stood up and stretched its body. "Well, good luck to you both," the beast said before walking to his spot next to Cloud's tent. Almost instantly, he fell asleep.

The ex-SOLDIER picked up his Buster Sword and walked up to the Jedi. "So," he began, "don't you think we should be patrolling the area?"

_This question again_, the Jedi mused. "No need for that," he explained. "The Force allows me the sense danger. So far, I felt none."

The blond, however, was skeptical about this. He raised his eyebrow and asked, "...Are you sure?"

"Yes," the Jedi said, almost with an annoyed tone. "I know you are not the man who trusts me, but you can have my word for it." He shook his head and continued, "I thought it was established that I do not work for Shinra."

"It's not that," Cloud immediately said. "It's just that..."

"...Just what?" the knight inquired as he raised his eyebrow.

"...Never mind," the blond quickly said. The swordsman was skeptical about the Jedi's method of standing on watch, but he decided to trust the man. "Alright," he finally said. "I believe you."

Obi-Wan smiled at this. "Good," he said, almost victoriously. He then patted the spot next to him and said, "Well, sit."

"...What?" Cloud asked with a confused expression.

"Sit," the Jedi repeated. "There's no need to patrol the area. I already got it covered."

"...Um..." the swordsman mumbled as he scratched his head. "...Sure. Why not."

"Excellent."

It was now Cloud's turn to sit next to the Jedi Master. The blond placed his Buster Sword on the ground and sat next to the man. "Um..." the swordsman mumbled. "Now what?"

"Nothing in particular, really," Obi-Wan answered. "We just stare at the fire and talk."

Cloud scratched his head with doubt. "Um... Okay?" he said as he stared at the fire in front of him.

The two said nothing as they watched the small burning spectacle in front of them. The fire waved around as the wood burned. The dancing light was somehow capturing the blond's attention.

The fire looked so alive to Cloud. The tendrils of flame flicked at the air. Its arms looked as if it was greeting the swordsman to a new world, a world far away from home.

"...Home," Cloud muttered as he curiously eyed the campfire.

"Sorry?" Obi-Wan asked as he turned to the man next to him.

The swordsman ignored the Jedi. He was too focused on the little show of the fire. It continued to dance in the air, snapping and consuming the wood. It beckoned him to another place.

Another place far from home.

Home.

His home.

His home, consumed by fire.

His home, burning. Filled with cries of pain.

His mother. His neighbor. Everyone burning. Gone like lies.

It was all too sudden.

And among the dust of the bodies. There was Sephiroth.

The crazed Sephiroth, walking away through the flames he created.

Fire.

Fire everywhere.

Fire and dust and-

"Cloud," Obi-Wan called with a raised voice.

The call shattered the recollection Cloud was having. He quickly turned to the Jedi. The swordsman was thankful that the Jedi Knight called his name, but he tried his best not to show it. "What?" he asked as he pulled his gaze off of the campfire.

"You looked rather spooked," the auburn-haired man pointed out. "Are you okay?"

"Do I look like I'm dying to you?" Cloud asked as he turned around to look at the hills behind him. "This fire's an eyesore. I'll be looking at the hills."

Obi-Wan knew the blond was hiding something. But, he decided not to ask any more questions about this. Thus, he turned around to look at the hills.

The Jedi, however, was disappointed at the view. "It's dark," he commented as he observed the scene.

"I think I noticed," Cloud answered.

"No, I mean, it's completely dark. Pitch black," the knight said as he squinted at the view. As the auburn-haired man stated, it was impossible to view the hills. Because of the darkness, everything was completely dark. "How do you enjoy watching this? This is almost like watching paint dry."

"How do you enjoy watching fire?" Cloud retorted. "There's nothing special about it."

"At least you can see _something_," Obi-Wan argued back. "It's certainly better than watching darkness."

"Why even watch fire, anyway?" the blond shot back. "Are you some sort of pyromaniac or something?"

"It's just a small campfire," the Jedi grumbled as he buried his face into his palm. "Why in the name of the Force did you even interpret it like that?"

"I'm just trying to-" Cloud began with an annoyed look.

A sudden rustling sound, however, interrupted Cloud. When the two turned around to see who made the noise, they saw Tifa emerge from the tent. The female fighter looked very sleepy. Her eyes were still nearly shut and her hair was a mess.

Cloud was the first to respond. "Uh... Are you okay?" he asked with concern.

Tifa groggily responded as she made some unknown hand motion, "Yerr... 'M fnnn..."

Obi-Wan raised his eyebrow and asked, "Sorry, but what did you say?"

This time, the fighter raised her voice and said, "Yeah... I'm fine." She then went to the water bottle near the campfire and began to drink from it.

The blond then asked, "It's not your turn, yet. You know that, right?"

Tifa nodded sleepily as she closed the bottle, some water already in her mouth. After gulping, she mumbled, "Aerith's punch is strong..."

"Aerith's punch?" Obi-Wan asked, confused by what the fighter meant. "Did she punch your face or something?"

Tifa wondered if she should give an honest answer to that question. However, she decided to lie and say, "...No. I'm just thinking to myself."

Cloud nodded before turning to Obi-Wan and commenting, "You are a fool. Why would Aerith punch Tifa's face?" Before the Jedi was able to retort, the blond turned to his friend and say, "I hope you sleep well, Tifa. Good night."

Tifa sleepily nodded before going back to her tent, where Aerith was now trying to catch some chocobos in her dream.

Obi-Wan and Cloud continued to view the dark hills. The Jedi was absolutely bored of the dark view. The swordsman also did not like it, but it was still better than looking at the fire.

Minutes later, the knight recalled something. He turned to his partner and revealed, "You know, Tifa had a strange reaction to your story."

Cloud turned to the Jedi. "What story?" he asked.

"Your past," Obi-Wan answered. "The story where Sephiroth turned into a madman."

"...Oh, that," the blond mumbled as he nodded. "So, what about it?"

"Tifa had a strange reaction when you told your story," the Jedi said again. "She looked as if she was... confused. It's just that, it's strange reaction for her to have. She was in your hometown when it all happened, after all."

Cloud slowly turned back to the hills and asked, "...Confused... you say?"

"Yes," the Jedi nodded.

The ex-SOLDIER continued to stare at the hills as the silence became uncomfortable for the two. Eventually, the blond answered, "...Did she say anything about it to you?"

"Um, no," Obi-Wan answered cautiously. _Something definitely _is_ strange about this_, he thought to himself.

"...Hmm... Perhaps I... left out an important detail in my story," the swordsman answered. "After all, I don't remember absolutely everything about it."

_He's being cautious_, the Jedi thought with certainty. _Is he hiding something, or is he being honest?_ Obi-Wan, however, decided not to ask any more questions about it. "Fair enough," he said.

"...Don't wake Tifa or Aerith up," Cloud said to the Jedi.

"What?"

"I'll be staying up for the rest of the night," the blond explained. "I don't feel that sleepy anyway."

Obi-Wan nodded and said, "If that's fine with you, you are welcome to do so."

The Jedi and the ex-SOLDIER continued to stay on watch. Eventually, Obi-Wan said to Cloud, "Do you and Tifa get along well?"

"...I guess," the blond responded with uncertainty.

"You sound unsure," the knight commented with a smirk.

"Obviously," Cloud responded as he rolled his eyes. "I haven't really talked to her."

"I see," the Jedi said as he stroked his beard. "What about Aerith?"

"What _about_ Aerith?" the ex-SOLDIER asked.

"I thought you agreed to be her bodyguard," Obi-Wan pointed out. "I forgot what the payment was," the Jedi mumbled as he tapped his chin.

Cloud eyed the auburn-haired man with suspicion. "...A date," he answered cautiously.

"...A date?" Obi-Wan repeated with curiosity. He then chuckled before asking, "Well, when do plan on dating her?"

Cloud did not respond in any way.

"...Okay," the Jedi answered.

The two sat there for hours, not starting any real discussions. Obi-Wan never felt this uncomfortable of the silence.

* * *

><p>Day arrived in a few more hours. The sun rose, lighting up the sky. The grassy hills actually looked nice to the Jedi now that they were actually visible.<p>

Barret was the first to wake up. He emerged from the tent and put on his boots. "That sleep went rather well," he mumbled with satisfaction.

Right afterward, Aerith woke up and stretched her arms. She turned to her tent mate and shook her. "Rise and shine, Tifa!" the Cetra exclaimed to Tifa. "It's the morning of a new day. It's time for you to punch down bad guys."

The fighter moaned in her covers, refusing to get up. "Mmmph... Just a few more minutes, Aerith," she groaned as she fell asleep.

The Cetra, however, refused to back down. She tapped her chin in thought as she planned a method of waking Tifa up. Eventually, the flower girl decided to do this the hard way. Aerith simply got out of the tent with her red jacket in her hand and put on her brown boots.

Cloud noticed the brunette and called out, "Good morning."

Aerith replied with a smile, "Good morning." After wearing her jacket, she rubbed her hands together and grabbed a nearest water bottle. The smirking Cetra opened the lid and gave a mischevious chuckle.

The blond raised his eyebrow and asked the flower girl, "What are you doing?"

"Something," Aerith cryptically answered.

Obi-Wan, upon hearing this, inquired with a smirk, "Are you planning on pouring water over Tifa's face?"

"Huh?!" the Cetra gasped as her eyes widened. "Uh... No! Of course not! Why on Gaia would I do that?"

Tifa, however, heard this discussion and quickly reacted by getting out of the tent. "That's a very classy way of waking someone up," the fighter said the flower girl as she crossed her arms.

"Tifa! Err... No, that's not true," Aerith defended as she forced a laugh. "We're just joking around! Heh heh heh heh heh heh."

Tifa only shook her head and put on her shoes. She walked to the bag to find her toothbrush and her toothpaste.

Cloud shook his head as well. "Well, I better brush my teeth, too," he said as he began to walk to his bag.

Barret simply laughed at the scene. He went to the Cetra and patted her on her back. "Maybe next time you'll get her," he said. With that, he went away to brush his teeth and wash his face.

The flower girl turned to the Jedi and gave him an annoyed look. The Cetra went up to him and stated, "You're no fun."

"It is fun to foil your schemes, young lady," Obi-Wan retorted with a smile.

"How did you know what I was going to do, anyway?" Aerith asked as she crossed her arms, a water bottle still in her hand.

"Really, now. That is an obvious prank," the auburn-haired man stated. "Also, Anakin always pulled that prank on me whenever I slept for too long. I've gotten used to it."

"...Oh," Aerith mumbled in defeat as she looked at the water bottle in her hand. Feeling thirsty, she began to drink water from her bottle.

All too suddenly, Obi-Wan smacked the bottom of the Cetra's bottle upward, causing most of the water to spill on Aerith's face.

Water was dripping from the flower girl's face. It took a while for Aerith to process what just happened. She then realized that Obi-Wan just pulled a prank on her.

"Obi!" the Cetra nearly shouted as her face blushed with annoyance.

"That is a prank I came up with to counter Anakin's antics," the Jedi revealed with a smirk.

Aerith used the sleeve of her jacket to wipe her face. "Anyway," she began, trying to forget that all this happened, "I just realized that Cloud didn't wake Tifa or me up."

Obi-Wan nodded. "He decided to stay up all night after his turn," he explained. "He still had about three hours of sleep, so it should be fine for an experienced soldier like him."

"Oh, okay," Aerith responded with a smile. "But, are you okay?"

"Me?" the knight asked.

"Yeah, you," the flower girl said with concern. "You stayed up all night, didn't you?"

"Yes, I did."

"Aren't you tired?" Aerith asked with a frown.

The Jedi shook his head. "Don't worry. I'm not," he reassured the worried Cetra. "I've had worse in the past. This is nothing compared to that."

"Alright," Aerith replied with a nod. She then changed the subject and asked, "Shouldn't you brush your teeth and clean your face and stuff?"

"I already did that," the Jedi answered.

"Oh, alright."

With that, the brunette found her own set of toothbrush and toothpaste and went away.

Eventually, Nanaki woke up from his sleep. After everyone finished their morning routine, they packed up their items and prepared to leave.

* * *

><p>Cloud, Obi-Wan, and Barret carried the bags as the blond continued to lead the team. Several crawling fiends attempted to attack the group, but everyone was swift with dealing them. During this time, however, the Jedi challenged himself by not using his lightsaber and only using his Ice Materia. The auburn-haired man was actually getting used to casting magic with his Materia. Although, he still had much to learn, for he nearly froze Barret's face. Nearly.<p>

Hours later before noon, the team finally reached the chocobo farm. The farm itself was quite simple. There was a cylindrical three-story tall stone tower, a small wooden house, and a white stable with a comical picture of a yellow chocobo on its wall. In front of the stable was a large pen with three chocobos minding their own business in it.

Cloud turned to his team and announced, "Well, we're here."

Barret stretched his arms with relief. "About time, too," he said. "I was gettin' tired of just walkin'."

Aerith looked around the farm with curiosity. "This is a nice place," she thought out loud. She then noticed the large yellow birds in the pen. "Chocobos!" she exclaimed as she ran to the nearest one, which was right in front of the fence.

All of a sudden, the other two chocobos turned to the Cetra, who froze at the spot with her eyes widened. The chocobos then started "dancing" by wagging its rear feathers and jumping up and down excitedly. Then, the chocobo near the flower girl bit a yellow marble from its left wing and threw it at the confused brunette.

Aerith was too shocked and dazed to catch the marble, which harmlessly hit her head and fell on the ground. The Cetra blinked her eyes several times, slowly processing what just happened. "Wh... What the heck was _that_?" she asked herself, still shaken by the scene she just witnessed. The flower girl shut her eyes and shook her head, dreadfully confused. When she opened her eyes, the chocobos were just loitering around the pen. When the brunette looked down, she spotted a yellow marble on the grassy ground. The Cetra felt Materia magic flowing through the small sphere, so she picked it up.

Meanwhile, the other members of the group did not notice the dancing chocobos. Instead, they were discussing their plan.

Cloud explained to the team, "We are going to acquire some chocobos. Then we are going to ride them all the way to the entrance of the cave. I'll be leading the way." After thinking to himself for a moment, he asked, "Do all of you guys know how to ride a chocobo?"

Barret nodded before answering, "It's been a while since I ever rode on one, but I should have no problems with it."

Obi-Wan turned to observe the chocobos in the pen. After inspecting them, he gave a nod and said, "I don't think I'll have problems with it. I'm good with animals, anyway."

Tifa looked at the yellow birds in the pen. The fighter frowned as she continued to observe the chocobos. "...I think I'll need some help with it," she admitted with a shake of her head.

Nanaki then spoke up, "I can't ride on one, either. I might end up clawing at a bird's neck."

Cloud nodded in response. "It shouldn't be a problem," he said to Tifa and Nanaki. "Perhaps it will be better if you two ride on one with someone else."

When the blond finished his statement, Aerith walked back to her group as she inspected the yellow Materia in her hand.

Cloud noticed the flower girl approaching them. "Hey, Aerith," he called out as he turned to her.

"Huh?" the Cetra responded as she looked up.

"I was wondering if-" the blond stopped himself when he noticed a yellow Materia in the brunette's hand. "Hey, what is that?"

"Oh, this?" Aerith asked as she lifted up the yellow marble. When she thought about explaining how she got it, the Cetra quickly decided against telling the story. _They might think I'm just making something up_, she thought to herself. "I found it on the ground. Pretty neat, isn't it?"

The blond nodded with a small smile. "May I take a look at it?" he asked.

"Sure," the Cetra said as she gave the yellow Materia to the swordsman.

After observing the marble, Cloud revealed to the team, "It's a Chocobo Materia."

"Interesting," Obi-Wan mumbled as he nodded. He then asked, "Can we use it to call and ride on chocobos?"

"No," the ex-SOLDIER answered as he handed the Materia back to Aerith. "It's an offensive summoning magic. It's only used for attacking your foe."

"I see," the Jedi said with a nod.

Barret yawned in boredom. "Shouldn't we start borrowing some chocobos or somethin'?" he asked.

Cloud nodded before saying, "Let's head into that house."

The group entered the wooden house with hopes of meeting the farm owner. In the house was an old man with graying hair sitting on the chair reading an old aging book. He was in a simple red, plaid shirt and brown pants. When the man noticed the group entering his house, the farmer looked up from his book.

"Why, hello there!" he greeted with a friendly voice as he stood up, placing his book on his chair.

"Hello, sir," Cloud greeted back.

"Nice to meet you, young lad," the farm owner said. "You can call me Choco Bill. You thinking of crossing the marshes?"

The blond answered with a concise, "Yeah."

"Ah," Choco Bill said as he pointed at the swordsman. "Then, it'll probably be safer for you to get a chocobo. That way, you can zip through the marshes and avoid being attacked by the Midgar Zolom."

Cloud nodded and said, "I am aware of the giant serpent that dwells in the marshes. I hear it's absolutely deadly."

"I see. I see," the farm owner mumbled with a nod. "Well then, if you want to purchase some chocobos, you can talk to my grandson in the stables."

"Alright," the swordsman said as he extended his hand. "Thank you, sir."

"Not a problem," Choco Bill said as he shook the blond's hand. "If you have any more questions, let me know and I'll do my best to answer them."

Before the group left the house, however, the old man suddenly called out, "Hold it!"

Everyone turned back around as Cloud asked the farmer, "What is it?"

Choco Bill shook his head as a frown formed on his face. "I just forgot," he began with concern. "All of our chocobos are reserved. We're actually out of spare ones."

When the team heard this, their mood turned for worse. And for a moment, they stayed silent.

Eventually, Obi-Wan broke the silence by muttering, "What?"

"We're all out, my friend," Choco Bill said once more. A more solemn and serious expression grew on the farmer's face as he continued quietly, "In fact, one of our chocobos was stolen."

Tifa grew concerned at this news. "Stolen?" she asked.

"Not only did he steal it," the old man continued, "but he threatened me and my grandson! Pointed his gun at me and forced me to give him one chocobo!"

Barret scratched his chin as he heard this. He then whispered to the blond leader, "Shinra?"

Cloud shook his head and whispered back, "I doubt it." He then turned back to the farmer and asked, "What did the thief look like?"

"Oh, he looked rather strange if you ask me," Choco Bill mumbled as he tried to remember the looks of the thief. "He had a strange bucket on his head. He was in a mechanical suit as well. Looked like a robot."

Aerith tapped her chin in thought. "Robot, huh?" she asked with concern.

The farmer shook his head as he continued, "Honestly, though, I think he's just some nutcase running around the fields, trying to be cool and impressive." With a shake of his head, he said, "I just didn't want to take my chances when he pointed that gun at me, you know? I thought it was fake, but you never know."

Cloud nodded and said, "Well, I'm glad you're okay, and I'm sorry about your loss. But, do you know if there are other methods of acquiring chocobos? We need some this instant."

Choco Bill shrugged and answered, "You can try catching your own chocobos. You can buy some of our essential tools for catching some from my grandson."

The blond sighed in annoyance. Eventually, however, he simply said, "Thank you." The swordsman then left the house with the others following him.

When everyone was outside, Barret told the team, "Looks like we're gonna have to buy some luring tools and stuff."

Cloud nodded in response. "How much gil do we even have, anyway?" he asked.

Tifa, who decided to carry the team's funds much earlier, pulled out her wallet and counted the money they had. She then looked up and announced, "2350 gil."

The blond sighed in relief. "That seems like a reasonable amount," he said. "Let's head over to the stables."

As the team began to walk to the stables, Obi-Wan went up to the Cetra and tapped her shoulder. "Aerith," he called.

Aerith turned around and asked, "What is it?"

"May I look at that Materia for a moment?" the Jedi asked.

"...Uh, sure," the Cetra replied as she handed the Chocobo Materia over to the knight. "What do you plan on doing with it, anyway?"

"I'm going to summon some chocobos," Obi-Wan revealed as he carefully observed the yellow sphere, turning away from the rest of the team.

"...Oh," Aerith mumbled as she, too, turned away from the group to stay with the Jedi. "I thought Cloud said that we can't use it to actually ride on chocobos."

"You never know," the auburn-haired man said with a smile.

The flower girl nodded with smile. "I guess it won't hurt to try," she said as she rubbed the back of her neck.

Before Obi-Wan attempted to summon the chocobos, however, he turned to Aerith with a concerned look. "This is the second time we heard about a hostile 'robot'," he said as he recalled the time when James Wiki of Kalm mentioned his encounter with a 'robot'.

Aerith rubbed her temples as she said, "Actually, I was thinking about that, too." She then tapped her chin in thought. "...I honestly don't think it's robot," she thought out loud.

"What makes you think so?" the Jedi asked.

"...Just a hunch, I guess," the Cetra answered with a shrug.

"Robot or not," the knight began, "we'll have to be careful of this strange being. I believe we are being chased."

"Chased?" Aerith asked, slightly frightened by the idea. "But Cloud seemed so sure that Shinra were more interested in Sephiroth."

Obi-Wan shook his head before saying, "That is only a speculation. Shinra's main focus is definitely Sephiroth, but it's very possible that they are still interested in us." He then closed his eyes as he frowned. "Or, in another case, this 'robot' might be working for another group we are not aware of."

"Another group?" Aerith repeated, feeling the hair on the back of her head rise. "...What group?"

"I'm not sure," the Jedi muttered as he opened his eyes. When he noticed that he was scaring the poor Cetra, who was trying her best not to show her fear, the knight tried to alleviate the mood. "But what I'm more concerned about is if my foolish plan is going to work," Obi-Wan said with a chuckle as he held up the Chocobo Materia.

The flower girl paused for a moment when the subject suddenly changed. She then chuckled as well before saying, "Who knows? We just might summon a whole flock of chocobos."

* * *

><p>"-And the Chocobo Lure itself is worth 2000 gil," Choco Billy, the grandson of Choco Bill, said with a smile.<p>

The rest of the AVALANCHE team were in the stable, trying to purchase the items required for catching wild chocobo. Unfortunately, the Chocobo Lure Materia and the food required to catch the wild birds costed 2100 gil. Although the team had the funds, their fund outlook was very grim.

_Damn_, Cloud thought in annoyance, already feeling poor. _Now we'll be having money problems as well_. The blond only shook his head and turned to his team. "What do you guys think?" he asked.

Nanaki replied grimly, "We'll have to buy the items. We'll worry about our financial problems later."

Barret scratched his head and asked, "Do you think we should trying bartering?"

The ex-SOLDIER rolled his eyes at the idea. "And what are we going to give them?" he asked. "We need everything we got."

Tifa then spoke up. "I second Nanaki's idea. It's not like we have a choice at the moment."

The gun man nodded his grudgingly. "But seriously," he ranted, "what're we gonna do with our money issues?"

Cloud rubbed his temple as he thought about it. The blond wished that money would fall from the sky. _Any _form of help would be nice.

Before he thought any further, the ex-SOLDIER began to hear something. "Do you guys here that?" he asked to his team mates.

Tifa and Barret shook their heads, but Nanaki suddenly tensed up. The red lion answered with a snarl, "I hear it. It sounds like a low rumble."

Several seconds later, the gun man and the fighter heard something as well. Barret turned to Cloud and said, "I hear it."

A little later, the rumbling noise was clear as ever. Everyone in the stable felt vibrations on the ground.

Cloud grabbed the handle of his Buster Sword, which was still stuck on his bag. "Something is out there," he said as he began to walk to the large door of the stable.

Everyone else, including Choco Billy, stayed silent, expecting for the worst to come. When Cloud pushed open the door, everyone was absolutely shocked by the scene they witnessed.

There was a very large group of yellow chocobos flocking across the hills. All of the large birds were passing right by the farm. Waves of chocobos were running through the fields. It was a spectacular scene.

Near the farm stood Obi-Wan and Aerith. The Cetra was jumping up and down shouting, "Yes! It worked!" The Jedi simply stood on his spot, nodding as he saw the scene.

After telling the flower girl to step back, Obi-Wan stepped back as well. The knight then raised his right hand. A moment later, three chocobos stepped out of the flocking group and stopped in front of the Jedi.

Aerith turned to Obi-Wan with a large smile. "Looks like we got our chocobo problem taken care of."

The Jedi chuckled as he stroked the neck of one of the chocobos. The large bird gently stroked the knight's face with its beak in response.

The rest of the team and Choco Billy was still in a shocked state, staring at the Cetra and the Jedi with wide eyes. They never saw a chocobo stampede like that in their entire life. Eventually, Barret shattered the silence as he began slowly, "...What the sh-"

Choco Bill suddenly bursted out of his house as he ran to the flower girl and the knight, who were still standing relatively near the house with the three chocobos. "...H- How did you guys do that?" he gasped as he asked.

Obi-Wan held up the yellow Materia in his hand. "Chocobo Materia," he answered.

"...You can do all that with Chocobo Materia?" the old man asked with an incredulous look.

Aerith shrugged as she commented, "Looks like it."

When the rest of the team ran to the two, Obi-Wan said to Cloud, "It turns out you _can _summon chocobos and ride on them using this Chocobo Materia."

The ex-SOLDIER avoided making eye-contact with the Jedi, embarrassment swelling up inside him. "...I guess you're right," the swordsman grudgingly admitted.

Barret then said with a loud voice, "Now that we got the chocobo problems outta the way, I think it's time we head to the caves!"

Nanaki slowly nodded, still shaken by the stampede. "Now we need to make groups of two."

Tifa silently tapped the ground with a tip of her shoe. She wanted to say that she wished to go with Cloud, but for some odd reason, the sentence got stuck in the middle of her throat.

Before she was able to say anything, however, Aerith went up to Cloud and asked with a large smile, "Would you like to take me on a chocobo ride, Mr. Bodyguard?"

The ex-SOLDIER smirked at this. "...If you insist," the blond answered as he approached one of the chocobos. After gently stroking its neck and tying his bag onto it, Cloud jumped up to its back successfully. Afterward, he grabbed Aerith's hand and helped her up.

The Cetra sat behind the blond and asked, "How do I not fall off?"

"Just grab my torso," the swordsman answered with confidence.

Barret shook his head at the scene, chuckling to himself. He then turned to the others and asked, "Who's going with me?"

Nanaki went up the gun man and said, "I will accompany you."

"Sounds cool," the burly man said with a thumb-up. "Just don't be too boring like that time in the cell." With that, he tied his bag onto the chocobo and climbed on top of it.

The red lion only stared at the bird Barret was on. "...How should I hang on to it?" the beast asked.

"I dunno," Barret answered with a shrug. "Just hang onto me or hang on tightly to the chocobo or somethin'."

Nanaki sighed and commented sarcastically, "That is a very reassuring advice. Thank you." With that, he jumped up to the chocobo and sat behind the gun man. After much twisting and turning, trying to figure out how to situate himself, Nanaki simply lay on the back of the chocobo on his belly as he hugged the sides of the chocobo with his legs.

The gun man turned around to check how the red lion situated himself. When he saw the beast, he commented, "You sure you're gonna hang onto the bird like that? You look very uncomfortable."

Nanaki reassured, "It's not as bad as it looks. It only looks awkward."

Barret nodded and said, "Alright."

Obi-Wan chuckled at the scene in front him. _They look like a bunch of comedians_, he thought to himself as he saw Barret and Nanaki. When he turned to see Tifa, however, he was slightly alarmed.

The fighter maintained a stoic look, but the Jedi knew that she was staring at Cloud and Aerith. The knight knew Tifa felt troubled, for he sensed sadness and jealousy within her.

The Jedi Knight turned to Cloud and then to Tifa. _Cloud... Tifa..._, he thought to himself. _Does she...?_ The auburn-haired man then stopped thinking of such a matter. He walked up to the female fighter and said, "Well, that leaves just the two of us."

Tifa turned to the Jedi and said with a small smile, "Yeah. Looks like it."

The knight tied his bag onto the last remaining chocobo, climbed up to it, and extended his hand to the fighter. The young woman grabbed onto the Jedi's hand as she climbed up and sat behind him.

Cloud then grabbed onto the long feathers on the neck of the chocobo and steered it to the front of the other two chocobos. "Alright, guys," he began with a loud voice. "The trip will only take a few hours, but if any of you feel like something is wrong, feel free to stop. After we group up in front of the marshes, we'll charge through."

Everyone else nodded in response.

"Good," the blond said. "Now, try to keep up."

With that, he leaned forward and gave a little yank on the feathers he was grabbing. The chocobo gave a loud "Wark!" and charged forward. Aerith hugged Cloud's body to keep herself from falling.

Barret did the same as he leaned forward and expertly tugged on the feathers of his chocobo with one hand. The chocobo then charged forward with Nanaki hanging onto the bird's body.

Obi-Wan grabbed onto his chocobo. "Are you ready?" he asked Tifa.

Tifa, however, quietly asked, "Um, Obi-Wan?"

The Jedi let go of his bird and turned around. "Is something wrong?"

The fighter stayed silent for a moment, avoiding eye-contact with the auburn-haired man. Eventually, she said, "Nevermind. I'm ready."

Obi-Wan shook his head and reminded, "You know I'm willing to hear whatever's in your mind. Also, you will never get any help if you don't ask for it."

Tifa frowned as she contemplated on whatever was in her mind. Eventually, she shook her head and said, "...It's nothing, really. I was ...um... just wondering if you can handle the chocobo."

Obi-Wan knew Tifa was holding a question back. However, he decided not to delve in further into this matter. "To be honest, I never rode on one."

"That is very reassuring," the fighter groaned.

"There is no need to worry," the Jedi replied with a smile. "I'm rather good with animals. I hope you are ready."

Tifa grabbed onto the Jedi's torso. "I'm ready."

Unlike Cloud and Barret, Obi-Wan used the Force to command his chocobo. _Move forward_, he commanded the bird through the Force. Instantly, the large bird charged forward.

* * *

><p>The ride took a little less than two hours. Obi-Wan and Tifa were able to catch up with the rest of the team. The rest did not notice that the two caught up much later than them.<p>

When the team arrived at the marshes, all the riders abruptly stopped their feathery steeds. They were surprised by another strange sight.

Nanaki looked up at the marshes. "...Someone else was definitely here," he said.

Everyone noticed a straight line of burned trees and plants in the marshes. Clearly, the plants were burned not too long ago, for a small amount of black smoke rose from the burnt corpses of the trees.

Barret shook his head in annoyance. "Well, at least someone made a way for us," he said optimistically. "...Sephiroth, maybe?"

Cloud nodded at the possibility. "Perhaps," he commented as he got off of his chocobo. When Aerith tried to jump off the bird, the blond raised his hand and said, "Stay there." With that said, he began to walk to the nearest burnt tree.

Obi-Wan turned to his left to see if there are any other clues. His eyes slightly widened as he spotted something peculiar. "I believe that is a dead Midgar Zolom," he said.

Everyone else turned to where Obi-Wan was looking at. Indeed, much to their surprise, they spotted a dead giant serpent lying on the boundary of the marshes. What was interesting about the corse is that there were multiple burn marks on its skin.

The Jedi got off of his chocobo and walked to the corpse of the serpent. As he inspected it, he turned to Cloud, who was still standing in front of a burnt tree, and said with a loud voice, "Whoever burned a path in the marshes also killed this."

Cloud nodded in agreement. "I was thinking the same thing," he replied with a louder voice. "It might have been Sephiroth, but I'm going to verify it."

After the knight nodded, he turned back to the corpse and inspected its skin. There were burn marks all over the skin, but something else caught the man's attention.

_There are burned holes all over the snake_, the Jedi thought as he felt around the holes burned onto the skin of the snake. The holes still felt hot and looked as if someone drove a hot steel bar into the snake. _Who could have done this?_

Meanwhile, Cloud was inspecting a burnt tree in front of him. He plucked a small piece of burnt wood from the tree stump and took a small bite. After chewing it several times, he spit it out as he felt the taste of the burnt wood.

"Gasoline," he said to himself with certainty. "It can't be Sephiroth." He then turned back and climbed onto his chocobo.

Aerith asked the blond with curiosity, "Do you think Sephiroth did this?"

"No," Cloud answered. "Someone else did this. I'm sure of it."

At that moment, Obi-Wan walked to his chocobo and climbed onto it. He then announced to the rest of the team, "I highly doubt Sephiroth killed that creature. It looks like someone killed it using multiple tools."

"I doubt he burned a path in the marshes as well," Cloud added to that. "We'll be going through the marshes now. Be very quick. We can't risk getting caught by another Zolom."

The team quickly traversed through the marshes with their chocobos. Everyone noticed something incredibly large slithering inside the murky waters. But, thanks to whoever burned down a straight line of trees and plants, the trip was a lot easier and the Zolom never caught the team.

Eventually, the team reached the other side of the marshes safe and sound. When everyone got off of the chocobo with the bags, the large birds began to run back through the marshes to reunite with their pack. When the group went to the entrance of a cave system beneath the mountains, however, they witnessed a terrifying scene.

A large Midgar Zolom was skewered on a tall dead tree, blood dripping from the body. The tip of the tree came out of the serpent's mouth and the whole place smelled like rotting trash mixed with blood.

Cloud stepped forward with awe. "Sephiroth must have done this," he said, almost in a whisper.

Tifa shook her head in disbelief. "Amazing," she breathed.

Barret grabbed his head as he stared at the dead serpent. "Damn," he muttered.

Nanaki growled at the sight of the corpse. "We are dealing with a powerful foe," he said.

Aerith just stared at the dead serpent with her jaws dropped. "Our enemy is someone who can do this...?" When she turned to look at Obi-Wan, however, she was slightly taken aback by his reaction, or rather his lack of reaction.

The Jedi simply stared at the scene as he stroked his beard, like a man would stare at a work of art. The scene made the knight remember the time when Anakin, shortly after he was knighted, defeated an evil serpent that tormented the people of a small village in a remote planet. The Chosen Jedi, after slaying the monster, skewered it onto a large wooden pole and shouted to the villagers, "Free food for everyone!" The villagers cheered for Anakin and hailed him as a hero. That was the day when Obi-Wan realized that Anakin, before his fall to the Dark Side, had a strange, twisted humor.

Aerith, still amazed at how Obi-Wan was not surprised by this scene, went to the Jedi and asked, "You're not surprised by any of this?"

The knight simply shrugged and said, "Not really. My friend Anakin did something similar to this."

The Cetra raised her eyebrow. "Can you do any of this?" she asked.

"Definitely, yes," Obi-Wan answered with a shrug. "Not that I would do it. This is just uncivilized and unnecessary."

Upon hearing this, everyone slowly turned to the Jedi and looked at him incredulously. However, Aerith thought to herself, _Of course! How could I have forgotten the fact that Obi is a powerful Jedi Knight?_ As she smiled at the thought, she nudged Obi-Wan with her elbow and asked, "Can you lift that snake off of that tree?"

Without answering, the Jedi closed his mind as he tapped himself into the Force. He then telepathically lifted the dead serpent and gently placed the corpse next to the bloody tree.

Everyone stared at the dead snake with amazement. They remained silent as they remembered the abilities Obi-Wan had. Barret turned to the Jedi and admitted, "You know? I'm glad you're on our side."

"Thank you," the knight replied with a smile.

After everyone finished preparing for their journey ahead, the team entered the caves, not knowing what they are going to face.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Howdy, everyone.**

**Lol, it's been far too long. I actually tried to keep a more consistent schedule for this fic, but I failed miserably on that.**

**I've also failed on keeping my profile updated as well. So, my sincerest apologies on that matter.**

**I'll try to keep you guys more updated on the progress of the fic. But one thing is certain: this fic won't be consistently updated until summer vacation rolls in.**

**Again, sorry about the slow progress.**

**Have a good day!**

**-UPDATE May 10, 2014-**

**I made a change in Obi-Wan and Tifa's chocobo scene.**

**-GreatDario**


	12. The Gift and Price of Darkness

"_**You have to have a darkness for the dawn to come."**_

**FORGE THE PATH**

**Chapter XII : The Gift and Price of Darkness**

The cave system turned out to be an abandoned mine site rich in mythril. Rusty pickaxes and planks of wood lay scattered across the ground. The mythril on the rocky walls reflected off a bit of sunlight seeping in from the entrance of the cave, providing a dim light throughout the whole cave system.

Realizing that the cave was still too dark to travel through, Cloud grabbed his electric lantern from his bag to illuminate the path. "Keep close to me," he warned his team as he turned on the device, "and don't stray away."

The blond led the way as the rest followed him through the darkness. Obi-Wan, thinking that more light would help, took out his own lantern and turned it on. To his displeasure, however, three nearby blue snakes were provoked by the sudden light. When they hissed angrily, Nanaki heard the noise and quickly turned to the snakes' direction, letting out a growl. "Snakes," the beast warned the others as he prepared to strike down hissing serpents.

Before anyone else can react, Barret expertly gunned the reptiles down while causing the area around them to be filled with flashing lights and ear-piercingly loud noises. The others jumped in surprise and covered their eyes and ears while the gunman mowed the snakes down with his machine gun arm. After shooting the burnt holey corpses of the serpents some more to make sure they are dead, Barret blew on the tip of his smoking gun arm and said nonchalantly, "I think they're dead."

The rest of the team, however, were displeased. Cloud glared at the gunman and asked, "Can't you silence that gun?"

Barret raised his eyebrow and replied, "Where's the fun in silence?"

Tifa shook her head and commented, "Your gun scared the soul out of me."

Aerith, with her eyes shut tightly and her ears covered, said with a loud voice, "I think my eardrums blew up! I can barely hear anything! I think I was right next to Barret when it happened!"

Nanaki turned to the Cetra and assured, "You should be fine. Just give it some time and-"

"What?! What did you say?!" Aerith asked loudly, unable to hear anything.

Nanaki sighed. "I said-"

"Huh?!" the Cetra interrupted, finally opening her eyes.

The red beast frowned in annoyance. "Forget it," he grumbled.

Obi-Wan simply shook his head and urged the others, "We must continue on. I would prefer to be out of this cave before dark."

Barret nodded in agreement. "I couldn't agree more-"

"And try to silence your weapon if you can, Barret-"

"There's another snake!" Barret exclaimed as he readied his gun, causing everyone to cover their ears and shut their eyes instantly.

Before the gunman was able to shoot, Cloud stopped him and shouted, "Will you stop that?! It's just a shed snake skin."

Upon further observation of the snakelike being near them, Barret noticed that it was, indeed, just an old snake skin. "Oops," he muttered as he lowered his gun-arm. "My bad."

The team continued to navigate through the mythril cave. As they did, they continued to see old pickaxes, dusty safety helmets, and broken mine wagons scattered across the cave grounds. The apparent oldness of the items indicate that the caves were once thriving with miners, but hints of recent activities were nowhere to be seen.

Eventually, the team ended up in a huge dome-like area. The place was significantly brighter thanks to the abundant mythril covering the walls. In the middle of the area was a huge dark abyss with relatively safe rocky pathways by the walls of the area. What was interesting is that there were several pillars of rock protruding upward from the unwelcoming hole.

What was more interesting, however, was that there was a familiar bald man in a suit standing on top of one of these pillars. "Hold it!" he shouted at AVALANCHE.

Barret raised his gun at the mystery man and shouted back, "Who are you?!"

Instead of giving a direct answer, the man cryptically replied, "I think you already know who I am."

Cloud crossed his arms and answered, "Of course we remember you. You're one of the Turks."

Aerith grumbled and asked the others, "What are they up to this time?"

Not hearing the brunette, Rude, the mystery man, continued, "Well, if you know, then this won't take long."

Barret was not pleased with the situation. With his gun-arm still raised, he asked, "How did you know we were here?"

Rude stoically replied, "We heard random gunfire in your direction."

The gunman cursed under his breath and commented, "Congratulations. You can do your job."

"'Job', hm?" Rude shook his head and mused. "It is difficult to explain what we Turks do."

Cloud shrugged and asked bluntly, "Kidnapping, right?"

Rude frowned with an unamused look. "...To put it negatively, you can say that. But, that's not all there is to it. Not anymore, at least," he quickly added as he tapped his foot on the ground.

Unexpectedly, a female voice shouted, "Sir!"

Everyone turned to the source of the voice, who turned out to be a blonde woman in the same suit Rude was wearing. She was standing on a rock towering over the rest of the people in the large mythril chamber.

After getting Rude's attention, the woman continued, "It's alright, Rude... er... sir! I know you don't like giving long speeches, so don't force it!"

Rude gave the woman a nod and said, "Then explain it for me, Elena."

Elena then turned to the AVALANCHE with purpose and introduced herself. "I am Elena, the newest member of the Turks."

Obi-Won raised his eyebrow and thought to himself, _Where did I hear that name before?_

Elena continued with a loud voice, "Thanks to what you people did to us back at Midgar, we Turks are running out of people and resources." She then mumbled to herself, "Although, I did get promoted to the Turks because of that..." Elena caught herself from mumbling on about her personal situation and continued, "Anyway, our job is to find out where Sephiroth is headed and try to stop you every step of the way."

At this sudden revelation, Cloud raised his eyebrow. "Is that so?" he asked with a questioning look.

Before anyone else can actually respond, Elena shook her head as she corrected herself, "Wait a minute, it's the other way around... You're the ones who are getting in our way... Possibly... I think..."

Nanaki turned to the AVALANCHE and asked quietly, "Exactly what is that woman trying to say?"

Tifa whispered back, "I'm not sure if she is understanding her own words."

Before Elena continued to make a fool out of herself, another familiar tall man with long black hair entered the chamber. "You talk too much, Elena," he said with a stoic expression.

Elena covered her mouth in shock before exclaiming, "Tseng- I mean, Sir!"

Tseng calmly continued, "There is no need to reveal our mission."

The blonde Turk sheepishly tapped her fingers as she looked away from her boss. "Sorry, Tseng- I mean, sir."

Tseng shook his head and said coolly, "I thought I gave you other orders. Now, go. Don't forget to file your report."

Elena sparked up and said, "Oh, right!" She then stood up straight and said with confidence, "Very well. Rude and I will go after Sephiroth. He is heading for Junon Harbor right now, so we should be able to catch up with him!"

A moment of awkward silence filled the whole cave system. Not even insect noises were heard.

Elena timidly looked around and asked, "Did I... do something wrong?"

Aerith shook her head and smirked. "Nope," she answered.

Meanwhile, Tseng tried his best to maintain his stoic expression. "Elena..." he began slowly, his eyebrows twitching, "you don't seem to understand..."

Finally realizing what she had done, the clumsy Turk exclaimed in horror, "Oh! I... I'm sorry!"

Completely giving up on concealment, Tseng commanded Rude and Elena in defeat with his head hanging low. "Go. Don't let Sephiroth get away."

"Yes, sir!" Rude and Elena saluted before dashing away into the darkness behind them. Before Rude left, however, he turned back to the AVALANCHE and reminded them, "Reno said he wanted to see you guys after his injuries heal up." He then added with a smirk, "He wants to show his affection for all of you with his new 'toy'." With that, he stepped into the darkness.

After the two left, Tseng turned to the group. "Well then," he said as he straightened his neck tie, "stay out of Shinra's way." When he turned to look at Aerith, he noticed that the flower girl was glaring daggers at him. Having nothing else to say, the Turk turned back and left the chamber through the cave he came in from.

As soon as the Turk disappeared from view, Barret stomped on the ground and grumbled, "Well, ain't that reunion heart-warmin'?"

Nanaki stayed positive and noted, "At least we did not have to fight them."

Aerith grumbled, "Seems like the Turks really are running low on useful people, seeing how they hired that clumsy girl. She doesn't look that useful to them."

Cloud tapped his chin as he looked away. "...Judging by your clumsiness, I don't think you're in a position to say that, Aerith."

The Cetra glared at the blond and asked, "What is THAT supposed to mean, Mr. Perfect?"

"...Nevermind."

Tifa pointed out, "But guys, we still figured out where Sephiroth is heading for." She peered at the ceiling of the mythril chamber and reminded herself, "Junon Harbor, was it?"

Cloud nodded. "That's right. Looks like our deduction was correct." He then turned to the rest of the team and said, "Well, we can't be loitering around here forever. Let's go before it gets too late."

Everyone nodded in agreement and they began to move, except for Obi-Wan, who was thinking about something.

Aerith noticed this and asked the Jedi, "Something up, Obi?"

Obi-Wan stroked his beard and replied, "Nothing much. It's just that, I think I saw that woman before."

Aerith asked, "You mean Helen? She's a bit weird if you ask me-"

"It's Elena," the knight quickly corrected her. He then lightened up, remembering where he last saw the female Turk. "Actually, I think I remember now."

"Wait a moment, you actually met her?" Aerith asked. "Where?"

"Back in Shinra HQ," Obi-Wan answered, "While I was being interrogated before Sephiroth... went on a rampage."

Aerith grew quiet as she remembered the massacre that was caused in the headquarters. The memory of the day disturbed her, to say the least.

Obi-Wan immediately regretted reminding the Cetra of the gore fest. "I-I'm sorry, Aerith," he quickly apologized.

"It's nothing, really," Aerith replied cheerfully as she tried to brush it off. "It's... it's just kinda hard to believe all that happened only several days ago."

Obi-Wan was still concerned about Aerith's mental health. It surprised the Jedi how the Cetra was stomaching that traumatic scene. Nevertheless, he was still able to sense fear within her. "No, Aerith," he spoke up.

"Eh?" Aerith responded in surprise.

"I mean, it's not nothing," Obi-Wan continued. "What happened back at Shinra HQ, it was an incredibly disturbing scene. If you don't seek help getting over it, it could haunt you for a very long time."

"Oh, c'mon," Aerith replied with a smile. "It's nothing! No need to go all 'dad mode' on me."

The Jedi was taken aback by the unexpectedly cheerful response. "It's just..." he began again.

"Really, now," the Cetra continued. "I've been through crazier stuff than you might imagine. I'm used to this kinda thing."

"...Are you sure?"

"As sure as I can ever be, 'dad'."

Obi-Wan frowned at this. He was concerned for Aerith, but he decided to listen to her for now. "Alright, if you say so," the Jedi said hesitantly.

Before Aerith said anything, Barret, who was standing in front of another passageway shouted from the other side of the mythril chamber, "Hey! You two gonna stand around till the sun sets or some shit?! Hurry the hell up! The others already went ahead!"

Aerith turned to Barret and shouted, "Going!" She then turned to the Jedi and said, "Let's go before Barret gets angrier and decides to just shoot our faces off."

The Jedi shook his head. "Great choice of words, Aerith."

* * *

><p>After navigating through the dark cave system and dealing with Barret's sudden ear-piercingly loud shootouts, the AVALANCHE eventually reached the end of the cave system.<p>

Cloud was the first to exit, and he turned to the others and announced, "We're finally out of the cave."

"No shit," Barret grumbled as he exited the cave. After earning a frown from the leader, the gunman looked at the sky as he took in the fresh air. He noticed that the sky was orange and the sun was on the horizon. "Holy shit," Barret let out as he looked at the sky. "The sun's already settin', this place is gettin' dark, and we're hungry as hell."

Nanaki shook his head as he realized he, too, was hungry. "I wish you hadn't said that. I did not realize I was hungry until you said it."

Barret grumbled as he said, "Whatever, man. I'm just pointin' out the facts. I'm a logical man."

Cloud turned to the gunman with a surprised expression. "You? Logical?"

Barret angrily replied, "How about you shut up before you get hurt?"

Tifa, sensing a familiar hostility rising up between the two, quickly interrupted. "Before we get into a hissy fit, how about we think about where we set up our camp?"

The gun man said carelessly, "Just set it up here. I wanna take a break."

The swordsman looked at Barret incredulously. "Are you joking? So, you want us to set up a camp where the Turks can see us with no difficulty?"  
>Barret scratched his head before realizing what Cloud meant. "Oh, right," he mumbled.<p>

Cloud smirked and advised the burly man, "Be logical."

Everyone (except Barret) laughed at the joke.

Barret, not finding this amusing, growled at the swordsman, "How about I rip your mouth off, you little-"

Obi-Wan, as he stopped laughing, quickly interrupted, "We should stop wasting our time. The faster we make our plan, the faster we can rest."

Tifa nodded and said, "Good point. And speaking of rest..." The fighter turned and pointed at the nearest forest, which was still about a mile away, and continued, "I say we go to the forest way over there. It's the nearest forest and we should be able to stay away from Shinra's sight."

Nanaki nodded in agreement. "That is a good plan. Although, we should avoid making a campfire. It would give away our position to Shinra."

Barret shook his head and said, "I wouldn't worry too much about that. I doubt those idiots are actually worried about us at the moment. They look more worried about Sephiroth."

Cloud then added, "As long as we're not obviously visible to everyone else, we should be fine." He then turned to the horizon and said, "We must hurry before the sun sets."

* * *

><p>The team walked across the land as the sun continued to set. Other than several ferocious wolf-like creatures that came to attack them, which were easily dealt with, there were very few obstacles in their journey. They traveled across the plains, which gave off an orange hue as the evening light shined on the land. An hour later, they were walking over the rolling hills. The tall grass of the peaceful hills waved back and forth as the wind blew.<p>

The AVALANCHE soon reached their destination. As the group stopped in front of the forest, Cloud turned to the group and announced, "It's getting dark, so we'll need to use our flashlights."

Barret and Obi-Wan nodded as they took out their flashlights from their bags as Cloud did the same. Cloud then warned everyone, "A forest can become an unforgiving place, especially at night. If you want to keep your heads between your shoulders, I strongly suggest that all of you stick together and follow me."

Aerith let out a disappointed sigh. "First time in my life going into a forest, and now our leader is warning us that we might lose our heads here."

The gunman spoke up. "I'll be followin' you guys at the end of the line. I'll make sure no one falls behind."

Tifa turned to Obi-Wan and advised, "I think you should use your normal weapon from this point on. No offense, but the last thing we need is one of us casting black magic on the rest of us."

The Jedi smiled and said, "Don't worry. I was thinking just that."

Nanaki turned to the group and said, "Speaking of magic, if any of you are planning to use any black magic on some of the creatures here, please be mindful. I would be most pleased to eat some of the animals here."

Barret grumbled in annoyance. "Fine," he replied.

The group began to move into the dark forest. As Cloud led the way, he carefully looked for a place to set up a camp. He looked left and right and began to survey the area.

The rest of the group quickly followed the swordsman. As Barret looked around the forest, he commented, "Man, why does this place has to be so dark, huh?"

Feeling mischievous, Aerith asked the gunman with a smirk, "Why? Are you scared?"

"Scared? Are you high?" Barret asked with a raised eyebrow. "I may be scared of some things, but darkness ain't one of 'em!"

Tifa commented as she looked at the trees, "I used to be very afraid of the forest when I was little. To me, a forest was a like a home of the monsters that lived under my bed. You never know what unknown creature is crawling around behind a tree."

Aerith tapped her chin and asked, "You sure you were scared of what was behind the tree and not the tree itself?"

Before the fighter opened her mouth to respond, she thought about what the Cetra just said. "...Actually," she carefully began, "that is a good question, as silly as it may seem."

Obi-Wan shrugged and suggested, "It could be a case of hylophobia. It's not that uncommon."

Nanaki then mused, "We are usually scared of anything slightly out of the ordinary when we are little. Most of us experienced it."

After hearing her friends' comments, Tifa shrugged and said, "I guess you're right. I'm not that scared of the woods now anyway."

Barret angrily shook his head and complained, "Why are we suddenly talkin' about our fears and crap? I'm getting the chills thanks to you guys!"

As the group continued to walk deeper into the forest, the trees became taller and the whole place was covered in darkness. The only things that were visible in the pitch black forest were the flashlights Cloud, Obi-Wan, and Barret were carrying.

Soon, Cloud stopped at a circular open area big enough for a camp. He stopped the rest of the team and said, "This looks like a good place to stop."

Barret swiftly put down his bag as he sighed. "Damn. That was a hell of a long walk, I tell you."

Obi-Wan dropped his bag on to the ground and said, "Let's get our tents set up now so that we can prepare dinner."

As Tifa stretched her back, she asked, "Speaking of dinner, what are we having for dinner anyway?"

After putting his bag down, Cloud answered, "Just some canned food."

Nanaki looked around his surroundings before adding, "We'll need some wood to start the fire."

Upon hearing this, Aerith asked the rest of the team "Shouldn't we set up our tents first?"

The swordsman began searching for any nearby flammable objects before answering, "Normally, we would. But, since it's too dark, we'll need to set up the campfire first."

The Jedi stroked his beard and asked, "We do have matches, right? It could be difficult to start a fire without them."

Tifa simply shrugged and answered, "Don't worry. Just a simple fire magic would be enough."

"Oh yeah. I forgot about the Materia."

While the team members were planning on what to do, Barret, who momentarily left the group, came back with an armful of big branches, sticks, and chunks of log. "While you fools were talkin' away, I actually brought our campfire stuff!" he proclaimed as he suddenly dropped them in the middle of the open area.

Cloud nodded as if he was impressed. "Not bad," he admitted. "This should be enough to keep the fire going."

Nanaki stretched his back and said, "We should hurry and set up our camp before a dangerous predator shows up from the dark."

* * *

><p>The team finished setting up their camp and began eating their dinner. There were only three tents available, so the group agreed that Barret would sleep alone in his tent. Cloud and Obi-Wan agreed to sleep in one tent. By default, Tifa and Aerith were to sleep in one tent. The swordsman could have sworn that Tifa was trying to avoid this, but he quickly dismissed the thought.<p>

While everyone was eating their food, Barret noticed that Nanaki was missing. "Hey, where the hell did our big cat go?"

Obi-Wan looked up and answered, "He's hunting on his own right now. He should be back in a couple of minutes."

Aerith looked up at the ceiling of the forest with her mouth slightly open. "Wow," she mumbled. "The trees here sure are huge."

Obi-Wan looked up and mused, "I wonder how the night sky would look like on top of the trees?"

Barret said matter-of-factly, "It would look like a night sky."

"Hilarious," Cloud commented at the gunman's answer with little interest.

As the group finished their simple meal, Nanaki arrived with a full stomach. According to the red lion, he was able to eat some rabbits and other creatures.

"Must be nice to have some real food," Barret said as he disposed his can into their trash bag.

Aerith looked around before asking, "What now?"

Cloud answered as he stood up, "We now go to sleep."

The Cetra frowned at this. "Cloud, c'mon," she said as she crossed her arms. "That's a little boring."

The swordsman raised his eyebrow and said, "It's about ten o'clock right now. Right now is a good time to get some rest."

"Before we sleep," Aerith began, ignoring the team leader's advice, "how about we do something fun?"

"If it's hide-and-seek you're thinking about right now-"

"No, not that," the Cetra interrupted with an insulted look. "I know I make stupid choices from time to time, but I'm not _that_ stupid."

Barret turned to Cloud and then to Aerith and said, "I dunno. It is a good time to sleep right now. We got tons of crap to deal with tomorrow."

Obi-Wan then suggested, "How about we share some stories? It is good to raise some team morale." He quickly added the last part to his suggestion when the blond swordsman gave him a quizzical look.

Upon hearing this, Tifa instantly agreed. "That sounds like a good idea to me."

Barret changed his mind and also agreed. "Eh, sure. Why not."

Cloud shrugged and yielded. "Alright, fine."

Aerith lit up at Cloud's change of thought. "Awesome," she said with a smile. "Alrighty then. How about we take turns and tell our stories?"

Tifa nodded and said, "Sounds like a plan. I think you should start, though."

"Sure thing," the Cetra said before clearing her throat. After putting much thought into what story she should talk about, she noticed something. "Wow," the Cetra thought out loud. "Other than the times when I was caught by Shinra and when I was evading them, I don't really have much to talk about."

Barret gruffly said, "Then, let's just skip you."

"No no no! Hang on!" Aerith said with excitement. "I got something to talk about!"

* * *

><p><em>My story's not an exciting one, but I think it's worth talking about.<em>

_ I was about five during this time. My mom really did her best to take care of me and keep me out of Shinra's sight. Of course, one particular Shinra agent occasionally came to our house to take me, but they never did. Speaking of which, I wonder why they never took the opportunity to just threaten us..._

_ Anyway, I was little and I was different from the rest of the kids in the slums. I never got along with anyone at the time. I never really reached out to them and they thought I was too weird to hang out with them. Mom always warned me that the slums we were living in was a very dangerous place. She explained that many people were always ready to do terrible things and the people who weren't bad were too busy with their own lives to help others. Because of this, I never really talked to anyone other than my mom. Yeah, my childhood was boring to say the least._

_ One day, my mom and I went out to go to the grocery store in Wall Market. Obviously, Wall Market is a home to the most vile people in the slums, so my mom was always extra careful with me. Usually, whenever I go to the Wall Market with my mom, I would never talk to anyone else and just stick close to her. And today was just like any other day._

_ Unfortunately for me, I kind of drifted off away from mom. When I noticed that she was nowhere near me, I panicked. I ran around the place, looking for my mom. I thought about asking others about her whereabouts, but I remembered my mom telling me not to talk to strangers. So, I continued to look for her myself, until I ended up in front of the _Honey Bee Inn_._

_ Being a small girl, I didn't know what the heck that place was. So, I began walking towards it. Suddenly, a janitor of the inn, who was taking a full trash bag to the dumpster, noticed me and ran to me. I was so shocked at the person running to me that I froze._

_ The janitor turned out to be a tall woman. She wore a black short-sleeved t-shirt with the Honey Bee Inn worker's badge. She also wore dark grey jeans and a black newsboy hat. She had brown hair and unforgettably sharp blue eyes._

_ Anyway, she ran up to me, crouched to match my eye level and asked me with a gentle voice, "You shouldn't be here, little girl. Are you lost?"_

_ Of course, my mom told me not to talk to strangers, so I didn't say a word. But, I was so scared, that I began to cry._

_ The janitor must have noticed me crying because she then asked me, "Are you hurt? Are your parents around here somewhere? I can help you look for them."_

_ For a moment, I believed in her words. But I decided that she must have been lying and was trying to take me away from my mom. So, I just ran away from her._

_ I didn't really get that far because I bumped into a group of scary looking gangsters. I stopped dead in my tracks and they began to surround me. I don't really remember what they were saying, but I am sure that they were talking about "doing bad things to me". I tried to scream as loud as I can, but I was so scared that nothing came out of my mouth._

_ But before they were able to kidnap me, someone familiar shouted something at their direction. For a moment, I thought it was my mom. When I checked, however, I noticed that it was the janitor woman I bumped into moments ago. I knew that a better option for me was to run to her than to stay with the gangsters, so while they turned to the janitor, I quickly ran to her._

_ When I hid behind the woman, one of the gang members shouted at her, "You the kid's parent or something?"_

_ "Does it matter if I am or not?" she shouted back with courage._

_ "So, you ain't her parent, huh?" the gang member said with a smirk. "Alright then. I'll let ya live if you give the kid to us. If ya don't, then we gonna make you wish that you were dead."_

_ "An interesting offer," the janitor said. "But how about this? If you don't take the kid, I'll let all of you walk away as if nothing happened. Otherwise, well... I can offer you a battle that you have no chance of winning. How about that?" She then turned to me and whispered with a smile, "Stand back. This is going to get ugly." I listened to her command._

_ And, without a warning, the gangsters came charging in with various weapons such as knifes, bats, and random blunt objects. I don't really remember how the fight went on because I was closing my eyes most of the time. But when I opened them, to my shock, the janitor was standing without a scratch while the rest of the gang members lay unconsciously on the ground in the most uncomfortable position__s__ possible with bruises all over their bodies. She then turned to me with a playful smile and began to approach me._

_ I stood __there __not knowing what just happened. It then struck me that she just rescued me. But before I was able to say anything, I heard my mom shouting my name from behind me. When I turned back, my mom ran to me and hugged me. She told me to never wander off alone and always stick to her. I nodded vigorously to keep myself from crying._

_ But when I tried to tell mom about how the janitor lady saved me, my mom noticed the janitor lady standing near us. To my surprised, she looked furious. She then shouted at the janitor lady, "How DARE you try to take my daughter to that slut house?!" My mom must have noticed the badge the janitor was wearing._

_ "Whoa, ma'am," the janitor said as she shook her hands in denial. "I wasn't trying to do that. In fact, I-"_

_ "Shut up!" my mom cut off as she hugged me tightly. She then turned to me and said, "Let's go home before something bad happens." With that, she grabbed my hand and began to take me home._

_ I wanted to tell my mom what really happened, but I was so surprised by what just happened that I wasn't able to say anything. I just turned my head and helplessly saw the janitor lady. She just smiled and silently waved at me good bye._

_ While we were leaving the Wall Market, I was able to overhear two people talk about what happened near the Honey Bee Inn. One of the people said something about a rumor floating around that the janitor lived in an abandoned church._

_ The next day, I lied to my mom that I was going to play with my friends, which I didn't really have, and went outside to find that church. I had a heck of a time trying to find the place, but in the end, I found it. I stood in front of the two large doors of the abandoned church. With a little hesitation, I opened the door. Much to my surprise, I found the janitor sitting on one of the seats._

_ The janitor lady quickly looked up and saw me. She instantly recognized me and stood up. "How did you get here?" she asked with a worried look._

_ "I... I heard rumors about where you lived," I began nervously, tapping my shoe on the ground. "I wanted to thank you for what you did for me."_

_ When the lady heard this, she smirked at me and said, "To go through the slums alone just to meet me... You got guts, kid." She then motioned me in and said, "You can come in. Just make sure to close the door behind you."_

_ At that day, I went into that church for the first time. Cloud, Obi-Wan, I hope you guys know what this church is. It's the same place where we first met!_

_ Anyway, we introduced each other. I still remember her name for sure. Her name was Annie. She said she came to Midgar in hopes of having a prosperous life. But, she said she failed and now she worked at the Honey Bee Inn as a janitor._

_ From that day on, we became friends. Whenever I had time, I always went to Annie's place to play with her. We just talked about random things. She showed me the flowers that mysteriously grew in the church and gave me some flower seeds so that I can plant them around my house. I actually asked her once if I can learn how to fight like her, but she declined because I was too young. She did promise that she will teach me one day._

_ I never did tell my mom about me meeting Annie. I was scared that my mom might stop me from meeting her. She suspected nothing, thankfully. But one day, something terrible happened._

_ I went to the church like any other day. To my surprise, Annie wasn't there. She said she would be there by the time I arrived. When I walked into the church, I noticed a piece of paper next to the flower bed. It was a letter written by Annie, saying that she had important matters to take care of and will be back in a day or two._

_ I have yet to hear anything from her._

_ …_

_ I'm not sure if she is even alive right now. But, I'm still hopeful that I'll meet her again one day._

_ I know this is a very strange story, but I really wanted to let it out. I get hopeful for the people of Midgar whenever I see someone like Annie and all of you guys. That's probably the reason why I'm following you guys._

* * *

><p>As Aerith finished up her story, she concluded with a smile, "Well, the story took a nasty dive. Sorry about that. But I hope you guys understand that people like Annie are the reason why I fight for Gaia. I just wanted you guys to know."<p>

Everyone silently nodded in respect. Eventually, Tifa asked, "Wait, can't you feel the presence of the people's spirit? What about this Annie's spirit you speak of?"

"That's the part I'm confused about," the Cetra explained. "Whenever I try to sense Annie's presence within Gaia, I feel like I can sense her, but it feels very... hazy. I'm not sure why."

Cloud nodded. "That still means that there is a small possibility that she is alive."

Barret scratched his chin before asking, "Do you still remember how she looked like?"

The Cetra carefully thought about Annie's appearance and answered, "To be honest, not really. It's funny, because I clearly remember what happened during the times I spent with her, but I only remember her name and some characteristics of her looks."

Nanaki turned to Aerith and assured, "I'll try to keep on eye out on anyone who resembles a tall woman with brown hair and blue eyes. Although it's highly likely that she's still in Midgar, there's still a small possibility that she's somewhere else in this world."

"Thanks a bunch," Aerith said with a smile. She then turned to the rest of the team and asked, "Alright, who's next?"

Cloud spoke up as he closed his cell phone, "I don't think we have enough time for another story. It's already eleven."

Aerith frowned in disappointment. "Oh, phooey," she mumbled.

Barret stood up and stretched his back as he groaned. "Alright, guys," he said. "I think I'll just go sleep for now. G'night." With that, he entered his tent.

Aerith stood up and turned to Tifa. "Looks like it's time for us to check out," she said happily.

"...Oh boy..." the fighter groaned as she remembered Aerith's sleeping habits. "It'll be so much fun."

"I know, right?" the Cetra responded, not knowing what Tifa actually meant. She grabbed Tifa's arm and dragged her into the tent. "Good night, all of you!" she said to the rest of the team before entering the tent.

"Good night, everyone," Tifa quietly said with the 'save me' look on her face. Unfortunately for Tifa, no one got her subliminal facial message and she was helplessly dragged into her tent by her tentmate.

Nanaki lied down next to Barret's tent and informed Obi-Wan and Cloud, "I'll be sleeping here. If any of you need me to stand on watch, feel free to wake me up. Other than that, have a good night." With that said, he instantly fell asleep.

Cloud looked at Obi-Wan and said, "I'll be standing on watch. I'm not that sleepy at the moment."

The Jedi nodded silently.

The swordsman noticed something off about the knight. So, he asked, "Is something wrong?"

"No, nothing's wrong," the knight replied with the shake of his hand. "It's just, that Annie character Aerith talked about, she reminded me of a good friend."

"Ah," Cloud responded. "I see."

"Anyway," Obi-Wan began, "I'll be sleeping for a while. After an hour or two, I'll stand on watch."

"You only need one or two hours of sleep?" the blond swordsman asked.

"The Force helps me stay awake," the Jedi answered with a smile.

"You and that _Force_ thing again," Cloud grumbled.

With a chuckle, Obi-Wan entered his tent after saying, "I'll be back in an hour or so." He fell asleep instantly.

* * *

><p>One and a half hour later, Obi-Wan woke up with little difficulty. As he exited his tent, he spotted Cloud walking around the camp area with the Buster Sword on his back. "Cloud," he called.<p>

Cloud turned to the Jedi. "I see you're awake," he said with an unchanging expression.

"If you're tired, you can go sleep now," the Jedi said. "I'll be standing on watch for now."

The swordsman shook his head. "I'm not sleepy right now. You can go rest some more if you need it."

"Regardless, I'm still going to stay out here for a while," Obi-Wan said as he crossed his arms. "If you do not need any sleep, then you can stand on watch with me."

"...Fine," Cloud said in defeat.

The Jedi noticed that the campfire continued to flame, lighting up the whole campsite. "Did you add more wood to the fire?" the knight asked.

"Yes," the blond swordsman answered. "It was dying out, so I threw in some branches."

"I see," Obi-Wan said as he went up to Cloud. "You are an interesting person, Cloud," the Jedi commented.

"I could be saying the same thing about you," Cloud answered not too fondly.

"I did not intend on insulting you," the Jedi assured. "It's just interesting to see what Shinra's SOLDIER program can produce."

"How am I so interesting to you?" the swordsman asked cautiously.

"Your superhuman strength is definitely one thing," the knight commented. "I have never seen anyone swing around a sword of that size without using the Force."

"I guess you have a point," Cloud replied with a nod. Obi-Wan noticed the swordsman smirking at his comment, to his amusement. Cloud continued, "It's a norm for us SOLDIERs."

Obi-Wan stroked his beard. "How about using Materia?" he asked.

"Materia? Please," the swordsman chuckled. "If we aren't efficient in any sort of combat, we would be kicked out of the program."

"Is that why you left Shinra?"

"Ye-..." Cloud stopped himself when he realized what Obi-Wan was hinting at. "You think you're so damn funny, do you?" he angrily retorted as he glared at the knight.

The Jedi laughed at Cloud's retort. "I believe so, my good friend," Obi-Wan said with a chuckle.

"You're not my friend," Cloud grumbled as he crossed his arms.  
>"Is that so," Obi-Wan asked with a smile. "I'm deeply saddened."<p>

"Deal with it," the swordsman said. "You won't be my friend even when-" Cloud was cut off by the presence he suddenly felt on top of one of the trees nearby the camp site. He quickly pulled out his Buster Sword as he began to search the trees above him. "Did you sense it?" he asked the Jedi with alertness.

"I did," Obi-Wan answered as he, too, felt a presence within the trees. He still decided against using his lightsaber, so he opted to simply use the Force.

The two stood quietly and looked around. There were trees everywhere.

Darkness enveloped everything except their camp.

…

…

Nothing but trees in sight.

…

…

Darkness.

…

Trees.

…

…

…

"Get down!" Obi-Wan warned Cloud.

Cloud immediately ducked.

Something flew right above him. It was big.

Nanaki woke up from the noise of the sudden projectile.

"Warn the others!" Cloud commanded the Jedi.

The Jedi quickly ran to the tents and began to wake everyone up. Barret woke up running out of the tent with his gun arm aimed at the sky. "The hell?! What did I miss?!" he shouted groggily as he waved around his gun. Tifa and Aerith ran out of the tent and looked around the forest. "What's going on?" Tifa asked Obi-Wan.

"Someone's attacking us," the Jedi answered quickly. "Be on your toes. Keep your eyes peeled."

Aerith's eyes widened as she grabbed her staff. "Someone's attacking us?!" she nearly shouted.

Barret fully woke up at Obi-Wan's words. "Shinra?!" he shouted as his eyes widened. "Shit shit shit shit shit!"

Nanaki warned everyone, "Stay calm. We can get through this if we stay alert."

Everyone grew quiet and the forest became tranquil once more.

Nothing was in sight.

…

…

The trees waved around as the wind blew.

…

…

Darkness still loomed the forest.

…

…

…

A cold icy projectile shot from one of the trees. It landed on the camp fire, extinguishing the flames and with it, light.

Darkness was everywhere.

There was no light.

"Auugh!" Barret shouted as he aimed his gun at the trees. "Those idiots actually put out our fire!"

The only thing visible were Cloud's Mako-enhanced illuminating eyes.

Everyone stayed alert.

…

…

A rustle was heard from one of the trees.

Barret shot his gun in the direction of the noise.

Nothing was hit.

…

…

…

A small projectile flew across the air.

Cloud blocked it with his Buster Sword. He quickly picked the projectile up and inspected it.

"Ninja star," the swordsman affirmed to the rest of his team.

Tifa turned to Cloud and said, "So, we're dealing with a ninja."

"That seems to be the case," Cloud answered.

…

…

The wind blew.

Trees waved.

…

…

Darkness still enveloped everything.

…

Another projectile flew from one of the trees.

Cloud blocked it once more.

"We're dealing with a novice," the swordsman declared.

Aerith asked Cloud, "How are you so sure?"

"This person is only attacking me," the swordsman answered. "Clearly, our ninja can only see me thanks to my eyes."

…

…

…

Obi-Wan suddenly turned his head towards one of the tree branches above him. As he immersed himself into the Force, he jumped high into the air and landed on the branch. The Jedi then shined his flashlight at the figure in front of him.

The ninja shrieked at the light burning the unknown person's eyes before losing balancing. The ninja then fell off the branch and landed on a large bush below the branch while screaming for dear life.

The Jedi turned his flashlight to his team and said, "I think I got our intruder."

Cloud quickly shined flashlight on the person that landed on the bush. To much of his surprise, the mystery person was a small girl.

"Ugh," she moaned as she struggled to get up from the bush. "I think I broke something."

* * *

><p>The mystery person was caught. The campfire was relit, which fully showed who the ninja was.<p>

The ninja was a young girl with short black hair. She wore a green sleeveless jumper with a huge gauntlet that covered most of her left arm. She also wore a pair of tan shorts with pieces of armor that covered her arm and leg.

The mystery person was sitting in front of the campfire with an angry look while all of the AVALANCHE members were glaring at her.

"Man... I can't believe I lost..." the ninja finally muttered.

Cloud raised his eyebrow at the comment. When he began approaching the girl, she suddenly jumped at furiously pointed at the swordsman and shouted, "You spikey-headed jerk! One more time! Let's go one more time!"

_I'm not the one who took you down, you numbskull_, Cloud thought. As he crossed his arms, he answered, "How about no?"

The ninja, clearly not expecting this response, stammered, "Wha-wha..." She quickly regained her composure and shouted at Cloud, "Oh? Oh! I know what you're thinking! You're thinking about backing off! Are you? Are you?! Fight me! Fight, I said!"

The whole team looked at the scene with disbelief. They were watching a short girl challenging a much bigger person with a huge sword on his back. Aerith nearly laughed at the scene.

"...I'm absolutely petrified," Cloud sarcastically answered. He was not able to take this seriously, as well.

Satisfied with the swordsman's fear (and failing to detect the sarcasm in the swordsman's voice), she said with a huge smirk, "Just as I thought. What do you expect with my skills?" With that said, she picked up her weapon, a four-point shuriken, and said, "Good luck to you, too. If you feel up to it, we can go another round. Later!" And with that, she turned and began to run off.

None of the AVALANCHE members actually cared enough to chase after her.

Cloud turned to his team with a grumpy look. "I'm sorry I woke all of you guys up for this clown show," he apologized sincerely. "I can't believe I was actually concerned when she attacked us."

Obi-Wan then spoke up, "I would like to apologize as well. I was concerned as much as he was."

The rest of the team brushed it off as if it was nothing.

When the team was about to get up and go back to sleep, the ninja shouted from a distance, "I'm really gonna leave!" When no response was made, she shouted again, "Really!"

None of the AVALANCHE members responded.

Tifa, however, felt slightly concerned. "Do you think she'll be alright?"

Barret turned to the fighter with a look of disbelief. "You're not actually worried about her, right?"

Nanaki turned to look at the forest behind them and mused, "It's still very dark. I wonder if..."

Barret quickly turned to the red beast and let out, "Oh, c'mon! Not you, too."

Aerith tapped her chin and said with concern, "Oh, c'mon, Barret! It _is_ really dark and scary out there right now."

The burly gunman then spoke up, "If I was still the leader, I would've kicked her out of this camp a lot earlier!"

Obi-Wan commented, "Well, you're not the leader. So, that didn't happen."

"No need to say the obvious, man," Barret said to Obi-Wan with a dejected look. He then turned to Cloud and asked, "What do you think, man?"

As Cloud thought about the issue at hand, the ninja shouted from a distance again, "I'm gooooiiiiing!"

Cloud grumbled to himself, "I know I'm going to regret this." He then turned to the ninja and shouted, "Wait a second!"

When the swordsman said this, the ninja seemed to lighten up, as she began to run back to the camp site. Upon arrival, she asked, "What is it? You still have something for me?"

Before Cloud responded, the ninja continued, "Wait, I know. You want my help because I'm so good!"

The swordsman turned to the rest of the group. For the first time in the journey, they saw Cloud with a look of uncertainty and fear. When the rest of the group shrugged, the swordsman sighed and turned back to the ninja.

The girl continued with a huge smile, "So, you want me go with you?"

_For the love of all things holy, no_, Cloud wanted to say. What came out of his mouth was, "...That's right."

The ninja crossed her arms as she smirked. "Heh heh... I thought so," she arrogantly said. "You put me in a spot. Hmm, what should I do?"

As Obi-Wan watched the scene, he thought with amusement, _She's having a time of her life_.

"If you want me _THAT_ bad, I can't refuse..." the small ninja thought out loud for the others to hear. She then turned back to the team and said with certainty, "Alright! I'll go with you."

_Oh shit_, Cloud grimly thought as he struggled to keep his poker face. _I was really hoping that she would say no_. The swordsman sighed in defeat._ Goddamnit. _"...I'm going to sleep," Cloud said with a stoic expression. He walked into his tent like a zombie, pondering about life.

Aerith and Tifa silently walked back into their tent without muttering a word.

Barret was already sleeping in his tent.

Nanaki was already sleeping next to Barret's tent.

Startled by such an unwelcoming mood, the ninja stammered, "Huh? Wha- Hey! I haven't even told you my name!"

When she noticed that Obi-Wan was sitting on a log nearby the campfire, she went up to the man and introduced herself. "I'm Yuffie! Yuffie Kisaragi! Nice to meet you! You'll do well to remember my famous name!"

The Jedi turned to smiling Yuffie. He smirked and said, "Sure." With that, he turned back to the campfire.

Visibly unsatisfied with Obi-Wan's lack of response, she said, "Is that the best you can come up with? 'Sure'?" When she noticed that the man was ignoring her words, she sighed and asked, "What's your name?"

"It's Obi-Wan," Obi-Wan answered as he continued to look at the campfire.

"Obi-Wan, huh?" the ninja asked. "That's a cool name! Er... Not as cool as mine, though."

The Jedi turned to Yuffie and asked, "Aren't you tired? It's getting awfully late. How are you going to sleep?"

"Sleep?" Yuffie began with confidence. "I'm not sleeping today! I already slept during the day, so I'm alive and kicking right now!"

Obi-Wan gave the excited ninja a concerned look. "You're going to have a hard time tomorrow at day."

"Pffft," Yuffie let out in annoyance. "You underestimate me, Obi-Wan."

"I hope that is the case, Yuffie."


End file.
